Biomarkers for predicting and assessing responsiveness of thyroid and kidney cancer subjects to lenvatinib compounds

ABSTRACT

Biomarkers are provided that are predictive of a subject&#39;s responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The biomarkers, compositions, and methods described herein are useful in selecting appropriate treatment modalities for a subject having cancer (e.g., thyroid cancer, kidney cancer), suspected of having cancer, or at risk of developing cancer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to biomarkers and thyroid and kidney cancer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A number of kinase inhibitors have been developed as antitumor agents. For example, a group of compounds having inhibitory activity against receptor tyrosine kinases, such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), are known to inhibit angiogenesis and are regarded as a new class of antitumor agents. Lenvatinib mesylate (also known as E7080) is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting VEGFR1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1-4, rearranged during transfection receptor (RET), KIT, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). In phase I clinical studies of lenvatinib mesylate, response to treatment was observed in thyroid, kidney and endometrial cancers, as well as melanoma.

Unfortunately, most anti-tumor treatments are associated with undesirable side effects, such as profound nausea, vomiting, or severe fatigue. Also, while anti-tumor treatments have been successful, they do not produce significant clinical responses in all patients who receive them resulting in undesirable side effects, delays, and costs associated with ineffective treatment. Therefore, biomarkers that can be used to predict the response of a subject to an antitumor agent prior to administration thereof are greatly needed. In addition, it is useful to have biomarkers that can be used to evaluate whether therapy comprising an antitumor agent is effective.

SUMMARY

The present application is based, at least in part, on the identification of biomarkers that are predictive of a thyroid or a kidney cancer subject's responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The presence of a mutation in one or more of genes is a useful predictor of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, a mutation(s) in one or more of the genes NRAS, KRAS, VHL, BRAF, ERBB2, PTEN, and MET is indicative that a given thyroid or kidney cancer subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In addition, the ratio of thyroglobulin levels pre- and post-treatment with a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof can be useful in determining the likelihood that a subject having differentiated thyroid cancer will respond to continued therapy with the lenvatinib compound. Furthermore, the expression level of certain proteins (e.g., those listed in Table 3) either prior to or post-treatment, or the ratio of the expression level post/pre-treatment compared to a control, can also be a useful predictor of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Also, the combination of these two classes biomarkers (mutations and blood biomarkers) or three classes biomarkers (mutations, thyroglobulin, and blood biomarkers) can provide for even stronger predictions of the likelihood that a subject having thyroid or kidney cancer will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

The application also provides methods for evaluating whether to continue treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) for a subject having thyroid or kidney cancer. Low or high levels of certain proteins (e.g., those listed in Table 3) before and/or after treatment with the therapy can be useful in evaluating whether to continue treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, lower ratios of thyroglobulin levels (post/pre-treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate)) compared to control ratios from samples of patients who are known to not respond to such therapy can be useful in assessing/evaluating whether the test subject will benefit from continued therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

Thus, the biomarkers and compositions described herein are useful, for example, in identifying and/or selecting a patient or a subset of patients having thyroid or kidney cancer that could benefit from treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In addition, the methods described herein are useful, for example, in selecting appropriate treatment modalities (e.g., therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate)) for a subject suffering from, suspected of having, or at risk of developing a thyroid or kidney cancer. Also, the methods allow a health care practitioner to determine whether to continue with a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) or change therapies and use a different treatment.

In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method of predicting the response of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a thyroid cancer or a kidney cancer to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The method involves providing a biological sample obtained from the subject and detecting the presence of a mutation in at least one gene selected from the group consisting of RAS, VHL, and BRAF in the biological sample. The presence of a mutation in the at least one gene is predictive that the subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, RAS is KRAS or NRAS. In one embodiment, the mutation in at least one gene is a mutation listed in Table 1. In another embodiment, the mutation in at least one gene is a mutation listed in Table 2. In another embodiment, the mutation in RAS is selected from the group consisting of KRAS Q61R, KRAS G12R, NRAS Q61P, and NRAS Q61R. In another embodiment, the method of this aspect further involves detecting the presence of a mutation in at least one gene selected from the group consisting of ERBB2, PTEN, and MET in the biological sample, wherein the presence of a mutated RAS and a mutation in at least one of ERBB2, PTEN, and MET is even more strongly predictive that the subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, the method further comprises the step of determining the expression level of at least one gene selected from the group consisting of ANGPT2, VEGFA, FLT4, CCL3, and CCL4.

In a second aspect, the application provides another method of predicting the response of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a differentiated thyroid cancer to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. This method can also be used to evaluate/assess the benefit of continued administration of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The method involves providing a first blood sample obtained from the subject before the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, providing a second blood sample obtained from the subject after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof measuring the concentration of thyroglobulin in the first blood sample and the second blood sample; and calculating the ratio (second/first) of the concentrations of thyroglobulin. A reduced ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood samples is predictive that the subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and an increased ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood samples is predictive that the subject will respond less effectively to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof than a subject having a reduced ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood samples. In one embodiment, the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 1 week to 9 months after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In another embodiment, the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 2 weeks to 9 months after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In another embodiment, the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 4 weeks to 6 months after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In a further embodiment, the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 4 days to 2 weeks after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

In a third aspect, the disclosure provides another method of predicting the response of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a thyroid cancer or a kidney cancer to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. This method involves providing a biological sample obtained from the subject before the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and measuring the concentration of at least one protein selected from the group consisting of ANGPT2, VEGFA, IFNG, KDR (soluble VEGFR2), FLT4 (soluble VEGFR3), IL6, PDGFAB, CSF3 (G-CSF), CCL3 (MIP-1α), CCL4 (MIP-1ß), FGF2, and IL13 in the biological sample. A reduced concentration, as compared to a control, of ANGPT2, VEGFA, IFNG, or soluble KDR (soluble VEGFR2), and/or an increased concentration, as compared to a control, of IL-6, IL-13, PDGFAB, CSF3 (G-CSF), CCL3 (MIP-1α), CCL4 (MIP-1ß), FLT4 (soluble VEGFR3), or FGF2 is indicative that the subject will respond to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, the concentration of at least two genes is measured. In one embodiment, the two genes are selected from the group consisting of VEGFA, ANGPT2, and CSF3; or IL13, CCL3 and CCL4. In another embodiment, the concentration of at least three genes is measured. In yet another embodiment, the concentration of at least four genes is measured.

In a fourth aspect, the disclosure provides another method of predicting the response of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a thyroid cancer or a kidney cancer to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. This method can also be used to evaluate/assess the benefit of continued administration of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The method involves providing a biological sample obtained from the subject after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and measuring the concentration of at least one protein selected from the group consisting of ANGPT2, IL13, VEGFA, IL6, PGF, IL10, CXCL12, and CCL5 in the biological sample. A reduced concentration, as compared to a control, of ANGPT2, IL13, VEGFA, IL6, or PGF, and an increased concentration, as compared to a control, of IL10, CXCL12 or CCL5 is indicative that the subject will respond to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, the sample is obtained about 15 days after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, the sample is obtained about 29 days or any first day of each treatment cycle (four weeks per cycle) after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

In a fourth aspect, the disclosure provides another method of predicting the response of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a thyroid cancer or a kidney cancer to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. This method can also be used to evaluate/assess the benefit of continued administration of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The method involves providing a first biological sample obtained from the subject before the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof providing a second biological sample obtained from the subject after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof measuring the concentration of at least one protein selected from the group consisting of CCL5, FLT3LG, IL12(p40), EGF, PDGF-BB, PDGF-AA, CSF2, FLT1, TEK, HGF, VEGFA, IL6, CSF3, FIGF, IL1RN, CCL11, IL1A, TGFA, PGF, PDGF-AB, IL10, and FGF2, in the first and the second biological samples; and calculating the ratio (second/first) of the concentrations of the protein. A reduced ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of CCL5, FLT3LG, IL12(p40), EGF, PDGF-BB, PDGF-AA, CSF3, FLT1, TEK, HGF, VEGFA, or IL6, and an increased ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of CSF2, FIGF, IL1RN, CCL11, IL1A, TGFA, PGF, PDGF AB, IL10, or FGF2 is predictive that the subject will respond to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, the sample is obtained about 15 days after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In one embodiment, the sample is obtained about 29 days or any first day of each treatment cycle (four weeks per cycle) after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

In a fifth aspect, the disclosure provides a method of treating a thyroid or kidney cancer, the method including the step of administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the subject has been identified as having a mutation that is associated with responsiveness to this therapy, and/or expressing a level or having an expression ratio of a biomarker that is associated with responsiveness to this therapy, and/or, for the case of thyroid cancer, having an expression ratio of thyroglobulin that is associated with responsiveness to this therapy.

In a sixth aspect, the disclosure provides a method of predicting responsiveness of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing a thyroid or kidney cancer. The method involves assessing the mutational status of NRAS and the pre-treatment concentrations of ANGPT2 in a biological sample(s) obtained from the subject. In one embodiment, the presence of a mutation in NRAS (e.g., a NRAS mutation listed in Table 1 or 2) and concentrations of ANGPT2 when entered into the following prediction formula: (0.000751)*(Ang2)+(2.69)*D(NRAS,WT)−(3.92)<0.716, where function D is defined in detailed description section, that satisfy the formula, are even more strongly predictive of the subject being responsive to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than a subject having either of these biomarkers individually (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when a different population of the sample is analyzed.).

In a seventh aspect, the disclosure provides a method of predicting responsiveness of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing a thyroid or kidney cancer. The method involves assessing the mutational status of NRAS or KRAS and the pre-treatment concentrations of ANGPT2 in a biological sample(s) obtained from the subject. In one embodiment, the presence of a mutation in NRAS or KRAS (e.g., a NRAS mutation or a KRAS mutation listed in Table 1 or 2) and concentrations of ANGPT2 when entered into the following prediction formula: (0.000869)*(ANG290)+(2.16)*D(KRASNRAS,WT)−(2.24)<0.508, that satisfy the formula, are even more strongly predictive of the subject being responsive to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than a subject having either of these biomarkers individually (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when a different population of the sample is analyzed.).

The following embodiments are envisaged for all of the above aspects. In one embodiment the lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is lenvatinib mesylate. In one embodiment, the thyroid cancer is a differentiated thyroid cancer. In another embodiment, the thyroid cancer is a medullary thyroid cancer. In one embodiment, the thyroid cancer is a papillary thyroid cancer. In another embodiment, the thyroid cancer is a follicular thyroid cancer. In another embodiment, the thyroid cancer is a Hürthle-cell thyroid cancer. In a certain embodiment, the thyroid cancer is an advanced radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. In one embodiment, the kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma. In certain embodiments, the subject is a human. In some embodiments, the biological sample is selected from the group consisting of a blood sample, circulating tumor cells, circulating DNA, a plasma sample, a serum sample, a urine sample, a thyroid sample, a thyroid nodule sample, a kidney sample, and a tumor sample. In some embodiments, the method further includes communicating the test results to the subject's health care provider. In certain embodiments, the method further includes modifying the subject's medical record to indicate that the subject is likely or not likely to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In specific embodiments, the record is created on a computer readable medium. In certain embodiments, the method further includes prescribing a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for the subject if the biomarker expression profile is predictive that the subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In some embodiments, the method further includes administering to the subject a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In some embodiments, the method further comprises selecting a subject having, or at risk of developing, a cancer that would benefit from treatment comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the exemplary methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present application, including definitions, will control. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of progression free survival (PFS) of patients with mutations in NRAS alone or with mutations in either NRAS or KRAS. Log rank test analysis demonstrated that patients with mutations in NRAS alone, or with mutations in either NRAS or KRAS had better PFS than those patients who were wild type for NRAS or KRAS.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the change in thyroglobulin levels after E7080 treatment. “PR” refers to median values among groups of patients showing partial response to E7080 therapy. “Others” refers to median values among groups of patients having stable disease or progressive disease after E7080 therapy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure provides methods and compositions for predicting the response of a thyroid or kidney cancer subject (such as a human patient) to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The disclosure provides predictive biomarkers (e.g., protein expression levels and/or gene mutations) to identify those subjects having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, thyroid (e.g., differentiated thyroid cancer) or kidney cancer (e.g., renal cell carcinoma), for whom administering a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is likely to be effective or ineffective. In addition, the disclosure provides biomarkers that are useful to evaluate/assess continued treatment of thyroid or kidney cancer subjects with a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The biomarkers, compositions, and methods described herein are useful in selecting appropriate therapeutic modalities (e.g., a lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) therapy) for subjects suffering from thyroid cancer or kidney cancer. Furthermore, this application provides methods of selecting patients having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, thyroid or kidney cancer that could benefit from a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) as well as methods of treatment.

Definitions

The term “circulating tumor cells” (CTCs) refers to cells that have detached from a primary tumor and circulate in the bloodstream. CTCs may constitute seeds for subsequent growth of additional tumors (metastasis) in different tissues (Kitago et al., Clin. Chem., 55(4):757:764 (2009)).

The term “circulating DNA” refers to DNA that is present in increased amounts in plasma or serum of cancer patients. Cancer patients have higher levels of circulating DNA than healthy controls (Leon et al., Cancer Res., 37: 646-650 (1977); Chuang et al., Head & Neck, 229-234 (2010)).

The term “decreased/reduced expression level” means an expression level that is lower than the expression level in a control.

The term “elevated expression level” means an expression level that is higher than the expression level in a control.

The term “lenvatinib” refers to

4-(3-chloro-4(cyclopropylaminocarbonyl)aminophenoxy)-7-methoxy-6-quinolinecarboxamide.

This compound is disclosed in Example 368 (see, column 270) of U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,286. U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,286 is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Lenvatinib mesylate is also referred to as E7080.

The terms “nucleic acid” and “polynucleotide” are used interchangeably herein, and refer to both RNA and DNA, including cDNA, genomic DNA, synthetic DNA, and DNA (or RNA) containing nucleic acid analogs. Polynucleotides can have any three-dimensional structure. A nucleic acid can be double-stranded or single-stranded (i.e., a sense strand or an antisense strand). Non-limiting examples of polynucleotides include genes, gene fragments, exons, introns, messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA, siRNA, micro-RNA, ribozymes, cDNA, recombinant polynucleotides, branched polynucleotides, plasmids, vectors, isolated DNA of any sequence, isolated RNA of any sequence, nucleic acid probes, and primers, as well as nucleic acid analogs.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” is not particularly restricted as to the type of salt. Examples of such salts include, but are not limited to, inorganic acid addition salt such as hydrochloric acid salt, sulfuric acid salt, carbonic acid salt, bicarnobate salt, hydrobromic acid salt and hydriodic acid salt; organic carboxylic acid addition salt such as acetic acid salt, maleic acid salt, lactic acid salt, tartaric acid salt and trifluoroacetic acid salt; organic sulfonic acid addition salt such as methanesulfonic acid salt, hydroxymethanesulfonic acid salt, hydroxyethanesulfonic acid salt, benzenesulfonic acid salt, toluenesulfonic acid salt and taurine salt; amine addition salt such as trimethylamine salt, triethylamine salt, pyridine salt, procaine salt, picoline salt, dicyclohexylamine salt, N,N′-dibenzylethylenediamine salt, N-methylglucamine salt, diethanolamine salt, triethanolamine salt, tris(hydroxymethylamino)methane salt and phenethylbenzylamine salt; and amino acid addition salt such as arginine salt, lysine salt, serine salt, glycine salt, aspartic acid salt and glutamic acid salt. In one embodiment, the pharmaceutically acceptable salt is a methanesulfonic acid salt (“mesylate”). The methanesulfonic acid salt form (i.e., the mesylate) of 4-(3-chloro-4-(cyclopropylaminocarbonyl)aminophenoxy)-7-methoxy-6-quinolinecarboxamide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,612,208, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

“Polypeptide” and “protein” are used interchangeably herein and mean any peptide-linked chain of amino acids, regardless of length or post-translational modification. Typically, a polypeptide described herein is “isolated” when it constitutes at least 60%, by weight, of the total protein in a preparation, e.g., 60% of the total protein in a sample. In some embodiments, a polypeptide described herein consists of at least 75%, at least 90%, or at least 99%, by weight, of the total protein in a preparation.

The term “responds/responsive to a therapy” means that the subject administered with the therapy shows a positive response to the therapy provided. Non-limiting examples of such a positive response are: a decrease in tumor size, a decrease in metastasis of a tumor, or an increased period of survival after treatment.

The term “subject” means a mammal, including but not limited to, a human, a chimpanzee, an orangutan, a gorilla, a baboon, a monkey, a mouse, a rat, a pig, a horse, a dog, and a cow.

Mutations Associated with Responsiveness to Therapy Comprising Lenvatinib or a Pharmaceutically Acceptable Salt Thereof

Mutations in certain genes such as NRAS, KRAS, VHL, or BRAF are predictive of the responsiveness of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Non-limiting examples of such mutations are listed in Tables 1 and 2 in the context of the amino acid sequence of the protein encoded by the respective genes.

TABLE 1 Mutational Biomarkers Gene Mutation BRAF V600E BRAF V600K BRAF K601E BRAF V600R BRAF D594G BRAF V600D BRAF V600M BRAF G469A BRAF V600A BRAF V600G BRAF G466V BRAF G469V BRAF V600_K601>E BRAF L597S BRAF L597V BRAF G464E BRAF G464V BRAF D594N BRAF F595L BRAF L597Q BRAF A598_T599insV BRAF G469R BRAF G469S BRAF L597R BRAF G466E BRAF G469E BRAF Y472S BRAF T599I BRAF K601N BRAF K601del BRAF A598V BRAF T599_R603>I BRAF T599_V600>IAL BRAF Q612* KRAS G12D KRAS G12V KRAS G13D KRAS G12C KRAS G12A KRAS G12S KRAS G12R KRAS G13C KRAS Q61H KRAS G13S KRAS Q61L KRAS G13R KRAS Q61R KRAS A146T KRAS G12F KRAS G13V KRAS G13A KRAS Q61K KRAS L19F KRAS Q61P KRAS G13G KRAS Q61E KRAS A146V KRAS V14I KRAS A59T KRAS G12G KRAS G12N KRAS K117N KRAS G10_A11insG KRAS G12L KRAS Q22K NRAS Q61R NRAS Q61K NRAS G12D NRAS G13D NRAS Q61L NRAS G12S NRAS Q61H NRAS G12C NRAS G13R NRAS G12V NRAS G13V NRAS G12A NRAS G13C NRAS Q61P NRAS G13A NRAS G12R NRAS A18T NRAS Q61E NRAS G60E NRAS G13S NRAS G12G NRAS G13G NRAS Q61Q NRAS S65C NRAS A11T NRAS T58I NRAS R68T VHL P81S VHL S68* VHL L89H VHL F148fs*11 VHL S65L VHL R161* VHL S80R VHL V130L VHL L158V VHL S72fs*87 VHL S65* VHL L158Q VHL I151S VHL Q96* VHL V62fs*5 VHL E70* VHL L85P VHL S183* VHL G114C VHL H115N VHL L169P VHL F76del VHL A56fs*11 VHL A149fs*25 VHL E160K VHL Q132* VHL Q195* VHL P172fs*30 VHL L153P VHL Y175fs*27 VHL Q164* VHL G144fs*15 VHL L128fs*31 VHL V74D VHL Y175* VHL L184P VHL N78K VHL P99fs*60 VHL R167Q VHL I180N VHL W88* VHL Y156fs*3 VHL L135fs*24 VHL Y185fs*17 VHL R167W VHL L118P VHL C77* VHL Y98* VHL L89P VHL L163P VHL H115Y VHL Y175fs*27 VHL R82P VHL L158P VHL N90I VHL T157fs*2 VHL D126G VHL L89R VHL P86H VHL L135fs*24 VHL C162Y VHL F148fs*11 VHL G144fs*14 VHL P61P VHL F136fs*23 VHL S168fs*2 VHL D187fs*27 VHL R107fs*52 VHL T133fs*26 VHL W117* VHL R177* VHL Q73* VHL W88R VHL N141fs*3 VHL R161P VHL E189K VHL I151T VHL Y98fs*61 VHL V137fs*7 VHL F119L VHL C162R VHL Q164P VHL A149fs*26 VHL G144* VHL L128P VHL S111N VHL G114R VHL S80N VHL V155L VHL N131fs*28 VHL R58fs*9 VHL W117R VHL N78I VHL R108fs*51 VHL P172fs*30 VHL E10G VHL E12K VHL L153fs*6 VHL L101L VHL V87_W88del VHL L128R VHL M1I VHL G39S VHL E134* VHL K171N VHL P138R VHL G114S VHL G104fs*55 VHL G104fs*55 VHL W117* VHL G104fs*55 VHL L163fs*7 VHL I180fs*22 VHL P81fs*78 VHL D121E VHL S139fs*20 VHL N141fs*18 VHL R167fs*3 VHL H115fs*44 VHL S65fs*2 VHL S38F VHL P40S VHL E41V VHL E51Q VHL P95R VHL V62fs*68 VHL N131fs*28 VHL N131fs*27 VHL V137fs*22 VHL S139S VHL P146fs*13 VHL V166G VHL D187_L188del VHL L188Q VHL M1fs*20 VHL T157T VHL S111S VHL W88C VHL D179fs*23 VHL N150fs*9 VHL V155fs*4 VHL N150fs*9 VHL N78S VHL N174fs*28 VHL N90fs*69 VHL Y98F VHL T124fs*35 VHL V155fs*4 VHL V166D VHL Y175D VHL N193fs*22 VHL W88R VHL Y98* VHL A122E VHL P146P VHL G104fs*23 VHL D121G VHL C162W VHL R200W VHL T157I VHL P86L VHL V142fs*17 VHL E160* VHL N78H VHL V155M VHL V142fs*17 VHL L101P VHL P154L VHL I151N VHL F136V VHL N131fs*2 VHL P86S VHL S111G VHL I151M VHL Y185* VHL R182R VHL P59fs*8 VHL L169L VHL E186* VHL C162F VHL L188P VHL K196fs*18 VHL N131K VHL S68P VHL I109N VHL R113* VHL S65W VHL D121Y VHL E160fs*10 Key to Selected Mutations: V600_K601>E = amino acids VK are replaced by E; A598_T599insV = insertion of V between A598 and T599; K601del = deletion of K601; Q612* = substitution of Q612 to stop codon; and F148fs*11 = frameshift occurred at F148 and a stop codon appeared after 11 amino acids.

TABLE 2 Additional Mutational Biomarkers Gene Mutation BRAF D594V BRAF D594G BRAF F468C BRAF F595L BRAF G464R BRAF G464V BRAF G464E BRAF G466R BRAF G469S BRAF G469E BRAF G469A BRAF G469V BRAF G469R BRAF G596R BRAF K601E BRAF K601N BRAF L597Q BRAF L597V BRAF L597S BRAF L597R BRAF T599I BRAF V600E BRAF V600K BRAF V600R BRAF V600L BRAF D587A BRAF D587E BRAF D594E BRAF E586K BRAF F595S BRAF G466V BRAF G469A BRAF I592M BRAF I592V BRAF K601del BRAF N581S BRAF R444W BRAF S605F BRAF S605N BRAF T599_V600insTT BRAF V471F BRAF V600A BRAF V600D BRAF V600M KRAS A59T KRAS G12A KRAS G12C KRAS G12D KRAS G12F KRAS G12R KRAS G12S KRAS G12V KRAS G13V KRAS G13D KRAS Q61E KRAS Q61K KRAS Q61H KRAS Q61L KRAS Q61R KRAS Q61P KRAS A146T KRAS G13A KRAS G13R KRAS L19F KRAS Q22K NRAS A18T NRAS G12C NRAS G12R NRAS G12S NRAS G12V NRAS G12A NRAS G12D NRAS G13C NRAS G13R NRAS G13S NRAS G13V NRAS G13A NRAS G13D NRAS Q61E NRAS Q61K NRAS Q61H NRAS Q61L NRAS Q61P NRAS A18T VHL F148fs*11 VHL L158Q VHL L85P VHL L89H VHL P81S VHL R161* VHL R167W

The presence in a subject of any one or more of the mutations listed in Table 1 and/or Table 2 is predictive that the subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In the interest of brevity, every possible combination of mutations from Table 1 and Table 2 suitable for use in the invention is not expressly listed herein. Nevertheless, it should be understood that every such combination is contemplated and is within the scope of the invention. The subject can have a single mutation (e.g., NRAS Q61P) or multiple mutations in the same gene (e.g., NRAS G12D and NRAS Q61R) or single mutations in multiple genes (e.g., BRAF V600E, NRAS Q61R, KRAS G12R, and VHL P81S); or multiple mutations in multiple genes (e.g., NRAS G12D, NRAS Q61P, KRAS G12R, and KRAS Q61R); or a mixture of single mutations in certain genes and multiple mutations in other genes (e.g., BRAF V600E; NRAS Q61P, NRAS G13V; KRAS G12R, KRAS Q61R; and VHL P81S). As few as one mutation listed in Table 1 or Table 2 is useful in predicting responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In certain embodiments, the mutation(s) is/are in NRAS. Non-limiting examples of NRAS mutations that are predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) are NRAS Q61P and NRAS Q61R. In other embodiments, the mutation(s) is/are in NRAS and/or KRAS. Non-limiting examples of KRAS mutations that are predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) are KRAS G12R and KRAS Q61R. In other embodiments, the mutation(s) is/are in NRAS and/or KRAS and/or VHL. A non-limiting example of a VHL mutation that is predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is P81S. In yet other embodiments, the mutation(s) is/are in NRAS and/or KRAS and/or BRAF. A non-limiting example of a BRAF mutation that is predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is BRAF V600E. In another embodiment, the mutation(s) is/are in NRAS and/or KRAS and/or BRAF and/or VHL.

One or more mutations in genes other than, or in addition to, NRAS, KRAS, VHL and/or BRAF can also be predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Non-limiting examples of such genes include ERBB2, PTEN and MET. Non-limiting examples of mutations in these genes that can be predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) include ERBB2 S779_P780insVGS, PTEN N323fs*2 and MET T1010I.T992I.

In one embodiment, the subject has, is suspected of having, or is at risk of developing a thyroid cancer (e.g., differentiated thyroid cancer such as papillary or follicular thyroid cancer). In another embodiment, the subject has, is suspected of having, or is at risk of developing a kidney cancer (e.g., renal cell carcinoma).

Nucleic acid isolated from biological samples obtained from the subject can be analyzed for the presence of one or more of the mutations listed in Table 1 and/or Table 2. Methods of identifying mutations in a nucleic acid are well known in the art.

One method of assessing whether a subject has a mutation in any of the genes of interest is the method described in Example 1, specifically, the use of Sequenom's OncoCarta™ mutation panels. Other non-limiting methods for determining if a gene or nucleic acid of interest contains a mutation include: Sanger sequencing (chain-termination method), massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS), Polony sequencing, 454 pyrosequencing, Illumina sequencing, SOLiD sequencing, ion semiconductor sequencing, DNA nanoball sequencing, and the simultaneous multiple mutation detection (SMMD) system utilizing an electrochemical array chip and ferrocenyl-naphthalene diimide (FND) (see, Wakai et al., Nucl. Acids. Res., 32(18): e141 (2004).

The proteins of interest can also be isolated from the biological samples from the subject and analyzed for the presence of mutations such as those disclosed above. Methods of protein sequencing are well known in the art. Non-limiting examples of such methods include mass spectrometry and the Edman degradation reaction. Protein sequencing can be carried out in both the form of whole-protein analysis or analysis of enzymatically produced peptides by mass spectrometry (see, Chait, Science. 314(5796):65-6 (2006)). Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), such as collision-induced dissociation (CID) (4), is a key technique for protein or peptide sequencing. In this method, gas-phase peptide/protein ions which are generated by ion source are internally heated by multiple collisions with rare gas atoms. This leads to peptide backbone fragmentation of the C—N bond resulting in a generation of series of fragment ions. The sequence information can be read from the series of fragment ions.

The biological samples that are used to obtain the nucleic acid or protein for analysis include, but are not limited to, a blood sample, a plasma sample, a serum sample, circulating tumor cells, circulating DNA, a urine sample, a thyroid tissue sample, a thyroid nodule sample, a renal tissue sample, or a tumor sample.

Thyroglobulin as a Biomarker for Responsiveness to Therapy Comprising Lenvatinib or a Pharmaceutically Acceptable Salt Thereof

In addition to the mutation biomarkers described above, thyroglobulin can also be used as an effective biomarker. Thyroglobulin is the major protein found in the thyroid colloid and is central to thyroid physiology, functioning both as a pro-hormone and a storage site for thyroid hormones. The expression level of thyroglobulin can be used to determine whether a subject (e.g., one having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing differentiated thyroid cancer) will be more likely or less likely to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In addition, the expression level of thyroglobulin can also be used to assess or evaluate whether a subject already being administered a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) should continue or terminate the therapy.

To assess whether a subject will respond effectively to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or to evaluate continued treatment with this therapy the following method can be employed. A biological sample (e.g., blood, serum, or plasma sample) is obtained from the subject both prior to and after administration of lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The ratio of the expression level of thyroglobulin in the two samples (concentration of thyroglobulin after administration of lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof/concentration of thyroglobulin before administration of lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof) is calculated. If the ratio of the samples from the test subject is less than the control, the subject is determined to be likely to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), whereas if the ratio of the samples from the test subject is greater than or about the same as (at least 90% but less than 100% of) that of the control, the subject is determined to be less likely to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). If the subject is predicted to respond to treatment, the therapy with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is recommended to be continued. In the context of the above assay, the term “control” means samples obtained pre- and post-treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof from the same source (e.g., blood, serum or plasma sample) as that of the test samples and that are taken at the same, or substantially the same, time points from a control subject(s) as the test samples, from a subject (or subjects) who has not responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The term “control” includes samples obtained in the past (pre- and post-treatment with the therapy) and used as a reference for future comparisons to test samples taken from subjects for which therapeutic responsiveness is to be predicted. For example, the “control” may be pre-established by an analysis of thyroglobulin expression pre- and post-treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) in one or more subjects that have not responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). This pre-established reference ratio (which may be an average or median ratio taken from multiple subjects that have not responded to the therapy) may then be used for the “control” ratio in the comparison with the test sample.

The “control” may alternatively be pre-established by an analysis of thyroglobulin expression in one or more subjects that have responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). This pre-established reference ratio (which may be an average or median ratio taken from multiple subjects that have responded to the therapy) may then be used as the “control” ratio in the comparison with the test sample. In such a comparison, the subject is predicted to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) if the ratio of thyroglobulin levels is comparable to or lower than, for example is lower than, the same as, or about the same as (at least 90% but less than 100% of), the pre-established reference ratio.

In the above method, the first biological sample can be taken at any time point prior to treatment with the therapy lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, the first biological sample may be taken minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months before initiation of the therapy, or substantially at the same time as the initiation of the therapy. The second biological sample can also be taken from the subject at any time point after initiation of treatment with the therapy lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, the second biological sample can be taken minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months after treatment with the therapy lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Non-limiting examples of the time points when the second biological sample is taken include: 1 week to 9 months, 2 weeks to 9 months, 3 weeks to 9 months after, 4 weeks to 9 months after, 1 day to 2 weeks after, 2 days to 2 weeks after, 3 days to 2 weeks after, 4 days to 2 weeks after, 5 days to 2 weeks after, 6 days to 2 weeks after, 1 week to 2 weeks after, 1 week to 3 weeks after, 1 week to 4 weeks after, and 1 week to 5 weeks after, initiation of treatment with the therapy lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

The thyroglobulin levels can be determined either by measuring the levels of mRNA or protein levels. Methods of measuring mRNA and protein levels are well known in the art (see, e.g., Sambrook J, Fritsch E F, Maniatis T, eds. (1989). Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed. (Woodbury, N.Y.: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; Real-time PCR applications guide. Bio-Rad Bulletin 5279 (catalog #170-9799)).

In certain embodiments, a subject is determined to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), if the subject shows a partial response post treatment with the therapy. “Partial Response” means at least 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline summed LD. In some embodiments, a subject is determined to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), if the subject shows tumor shrinkage post-treatment with the therapy. “Tumor shrinkage” (TS) means percent change of sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters. In other embodiments, a subject is determined to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), if the subject shows progression free survival. “Progression Free Survival” (PFS) refers to the period from start date of treatment to the last date before entering Progressive Disease (PD) status. PD means at least 20% increase in the sum of the LD of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest summed LD recorded since the treatment started, or the appearance of one or more new lesions.

A larger decrease in thyroglobulin levels post-treatment from pre-treatment levels compared to a control (e.g., pre- and post-treatment samples obtained from a subject who is not responsive to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is predictive of a partial response to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) in differentiated thyroid cancer patients.

A decrease in thyroglobulin levels about 28 days (e.g., 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 days) after treatment with a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is predictive of progression free survival in differentiated thyroid cancer patients.

A decrease in thyroglobulin levels about 56 days after, about 84 days after, about 112 days after, and about 140 days after treatment with a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is predictive of tumor shrinkage in differentiated thyroid cancer patients.

Cytokine, Chemokine, and Angiogenic Factors as Biomarkers for Responsiveness to Therapy Comprising Lenvatinib or a Pharmaceutically Acceptable Salt Thereof

A number of genes have been identified whose expression levels (e.g., mRNA or protein expression levels) are useful in predicting responsiveness of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). These genes as identified by Gene ID, related URL, protein ID and UniProtKB Accession Nos. are listed in Table 3.

TABLE 3 List of Blood Biomarkers Official Gene UniProtKB Gene Symbol ID URL Alternative Symbol* Accession No. ANGPT1 284 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/284 Ang-1/Ang1 Q5HYA0 ANGPT2 285 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/285 Ang-2/ANG-2/Ang2/ANG2 O15123 (90)/ANG290 CCL11 6356 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6356 Eotaxin P51671 FGF2 2247 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2247 FGF-2/FGF2(79)/FGF279 P09038 FGF23 8074 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/8074 FGF-23 Q9GZV9 FGF4 2249 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2249 FGF4 (75)/FGF475 P08620 CSF2 1437 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1437 GM-CSF/GMCSF P04141 IFNG 3458 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3458 IFN-g/IFN-γ P01579 IL10 3586 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3586 IL-10 P22301 IL12A (p35) 3592 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3592 IL12A P29459 IL12B (p40) 3593 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3593 IL12B/IL12(p40)/IL-12(p40) P29460 IL13 3596 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3596 IL-13 P35225 IL17A 3605 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3605 IL-17 Q16552 IL1A 3552 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3552 IL-1a/IL-1α P01583 IL1B 3553 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3553 IL-1b/IL-1β P01584 IL2 3558 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3558 IL-2 P60568 IL5 3567 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3567 IL-5 P05113 IL6 3569 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3569 IL-6 P05231 IL8 3576 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3576 IL-8 P10145 CXCL10 3627 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3627 IP-10 P02778 CCL2 6347 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6347 MCP-1 P13500 CCL3 6348 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6348 MIP-1a/MIP1a/MIP-1α P10147 CCL4 6351 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6351 MIP-1b/MIP1b/MIP-1β P13236 CCL5 6352 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6352 RANTES P13501 CD40LG 959 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/959 sCD40L P29965 CXCL12 6387 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6387 SDF-1a/SDF1a P48061 KDR 3791 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3791 sVEGFR2 P35968 TEK 7010 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7010 Tie-2 Q02763 TNF 7124 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7124 TNFa/TNF-α P01375 FIGF 2277 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2277 VEGFD (78) O43915 EGF 1950 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1950 EGF (80) P01133 FLT3LG 2323 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2323 FLT3 LG (89) P49771 CSF3 1440 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1440 G-CSF/GCSF P09919 HGF 3082 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3082 HGF (86) P14210 IL15 3600 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3600 IL-15 P40933 IL1RN 3557 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3557 IL-1ra P18510 IL4 3565 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3565 IL-4 P05112 IL7 3574 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3574 IL-7 P13232 PDGFA 5154 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/5154 PDGFA P04085 PDGFB 5155 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/5155 PDGFB P01127 PGF 5228 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/5228 PGF (91) P49763 FLT1 2321 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2321 sVEGFR1 P17948 FLT4 2324 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2324 sVEGFR3 P35916 TGFA 7039 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7039 TGFa/TGF-α P01135 VEGFA 7422 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7422 VEGF/VEGFA P15692 (100)/VEGFA100 *Other alternate symbols PDGF-AA (alternative symbol PDGFAA); homo dimer of PDGFA PDGF-AB (alternative symbol PDGFAB); hetero dimer of PDGFA and PDGFB PDGF-BB (alternative symbol PDGFBB); homo dimer of PDGFB IL-12p70; hetero dimer of IL12A(p35) and IL12B(p40)

A low expression (e.g., mRNA or protein expression) level (compared to a control) of certain genes listed in Table 3 is indicative/predictive that a subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, low concentrations (compared to a control) of ANGPT2, VEGFA, IFNG, and KDR in a biological sample obtained from a subject prior to treatment with the therapy are predictive that a given subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In this context, the term “control” includes a sample (from the same tissue) obtained from a subject who is known to not respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The term “control” also includes a sample obtained in the past and used as a reference for future comparisons to test samples taken from subjects for which therapeutic responsiveness is to be predicted. For example, the “control” expression level for a particular gene in a particular cell type or tissue may be pre-established by an analysis of gene expression in one or more subjects that have not responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). This pre-established reference value (which may be an average or median expression level taken from multiple subjects that have responded to the therapy) may then be used for the “control” expression level in the comparison with the test sample. The “control” expression level for a particular gene in a particular cell type or tissue may alternatively be pre-established by an analysis of gene expression in one or more subjects that have responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). This pre-established reference value (which may be an average or median expression level taken from multiple subjects that have responded to the therapy) may then be used as the “control” expression level in the comparison with the test sample. In such a comparison, the subject is predicted to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) if the expression level of the gene being analyzed is comparable to or lower than, for example is lower than, the same as, or about the same as (at least 85% but less than 100% of, the pre-established reference.

A high expression (e.g., mRNA or protein expression) level (compared to a control) of certain genes listed in Table 3 is predictive that a subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, high concentrations (compared to a control) of PDGF-AB, FGF2, CSF3, IL6, IL13, FLT4, CCL3, and CCL4 in a biological sample obtained from a subject prior to treatment with the therapy are predictive that a given subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In this context, the term “control” is identical to that described in the paragraph above, except that when the “control” expression level for a particular gene in a particular cell type or tissue is alternatively pre-established by an analysis of gene expression in one or more subjects that have responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), the subject is predicted to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) if the expression level of the gene being analyzed is comparable to or higher than, for example is higher than, the same as, or about the same as (at least 85% but less than 100% of, the pre-established reference.

It is also envisaged that subjects be administered with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) for short periods of time to determine whether the administered therapy will be effective for the subject. The determination of effectiveness of the therapy is made based on the expression (e.g., mRNA or protein expression) levels of certain genes in biological samples obtained from these subjects at different time points post-treatment. Based on the expression levels of these genes, one can predict whether the subject will respond to continued treatment. Thus, these methods are useful in assessing or evaluating whether it is advisable to continue administration of lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, low concentrations (compared to a control) of certain genes, e.g., ANGPT2 and/or IL13 about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) are predictive that the subject will have a beneficial clinical outcome (e.g., tumor response and/or tumor shrinkage) upon continued therapy with lenvatinib compounds. Similarly, high concentrations (compared to a control) of certain genes, e.g., IL10 and/or CXCL12 about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) are also predictive that the subject will have a beneficial clinical outcome (e.g., tumor response and/or tumor shrinkage) upon continued therapy with lenvatinib compounds.

In addition, low concentrations (compared to a control) of certain genes, e.g., VEGFA, IL6, and/or PGF about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) are predictive that the subject will have a beneficial clinical outcome (e.g., tumor response and/or tumor shrinkage) upon continued therapy with lenvatinib compounds. Also, high concentrations (compared to a control) of certain genes, e.g., CCL5 about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) are predictive that the subject will have a beneficial clinical outcome (e.g., tumor response and/or tumor shrinkage) upon continued therapy with lenvatinib compounds.

The ratio of the expression (e.g., mRNA or protein expression) level of certain genes post-treatment over pre-treatment with lenvantib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (compared to a control) can also be useful in predicting whether a subject will have a beneficial clinical outcome (e.g., best overall response, tumor shrinkage, progression free survival) upon continued therapy with lenvatinib compounds. For example, a reduced ratio, as compared to a control, of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., CCL5, FLT3LG, IL12(p40), EGF, PDGF-BB, PDGF-AA, CSF3, FLT1, TEK, HGF, VEGFA, or IL6 is indicative that the subject will respond to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In addition, an increased ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of certain genes, e.g., CSF2, FIGF, IL1RN, CCL11, IL1A, TGFA, PGF, PDGF AB, IL10, or FGF2 is predictive that the subject will respond to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

A reduced ratio (compared to a control) of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., CCL5, FLT3LG based on expression about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will have progression free survival.

An increased ratio (compared to a control) of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., CSF3 or FGF2 based on expression about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will have tumor response.

An increased ratio (compared to a control) of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., CSF3, IL10 or FGF2 based on expression about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will show tumor shrinkage.

An increased ratio (compared to a control) of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., FIGF, ILIRN, PDGFAB or IL10 based on expression about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will have progression free survival.

A reduced ratio of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., FLT3LG, IL12, EGF, PDGFBB, PDGFAA, CSF3, or FLT1 based on expression about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will have progression free survival.

An increased ratio of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., CCL11 based on expression about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will exhibit tumor response.

An increased ratio of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., IL1A or TGFA based on expression about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene prior to initiation of this therapy is predictive that the subject will exhibit tumor shrinkage.

A reduced ratio of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., FLT1, TEK, VEGFA, or IL6 based on expression about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will exhibit tumor shrinkage.

A reduced ratio of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., TEK, HGF, or VEGFA based on expression about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of this therapy is predictive that the subject will show the best overall response.

An increased ratio of the expression level of certain genes, e.g., PGF based on expression about 5 weeks (e.g., 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks) after initiation of therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and the expression level of the same gene about 5 days to about 18 days after initiation of this therapy is indicative that the subject will exhibit tumor shrinkage, whereas an increased ratio under the same conditions of e.g., FGF2 is predictive of the subject exhibiting a tumor response.

The progression free survival observed above can be, for example, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months, 11 months, 12 months, 13 months, 14 months, 15 months, 16 months, 17 months, 18 months, 19 months, 20 months, 21 months, 22 months, 23 months, or 24 months, or about 4 months, about 5 months, about 6 months, about 7 months, about 8 months, about 9 months, about 10 months, about 11 months, about 12 months, about 13 months, about 14 months, about 15 months, about 15 months, about 17 months, about 18 months, about 19 months, about 20 months, about 21 months, about 22 months, about 23 months, or about 24 months.

In determining whether the ratio is increased or decreased comparison is made to a control. In this context, the term “control” includes samples obtained from the same source (e.g., blood, serum or plasma sample) as that of the test samples and that are taken at the same, or substantially the same, time points as the test samples, from a subject (or subjects) who has not responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The term “control” includes samples obtained in the past (pre- and post-treatment with the therapy) and used as a reference for future comparisons to test samples taken from subjects for which therapeutic responsiveness is to be predicted. For example, the “control” may be a pre-established ratio of the expression of the gene of interest pre- and post-treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) in one or more subjects that have not responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). This pre-established reference ratio (which may be an average or median ratio taken from multiple subjects that have not responded to the therapy) may then be used for the “control” ratio in the comparison with the test sample.

The “control” may alternatively be pre-established by an analysis of expression of the gene of interest in one or more subjects who have responded to treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). This pre-established reference ratio (which may be an average or median ratio taken from multiple subjects that have responded to the therapy) may then be used as the “control” ratio in the comparison with the test sample. In such a comparison, the subject is predicted to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) if the ratio of expression levels of the gene is comparable to, for example, the same as or about the same as (at least 90% but less than 100% of), the pre-established reference ratio.

Combinatorial Methods

Any of the above biomarkers may be assessed in combination to determine whether a subject will respond to, or benefit from continued, administration of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). For example, any one or more of the mutation biomarkers may be assessed in combination with thyroglobulin expression ratios and/or expression levels or expression ratios of cytokine, chemokine, or angiogenic factors, and/or histological analysis. In some instances, a mutational biomarker(s) is assessed in combination with histological analysis. In other cases, a mutational biomarker(s) is assessed in combination with thyroglobulin expression ratios. In some instances, a mutational biomarker(s) is assessed in combination with expression levels or expression ratios of one or more cytokine, chemokine, or angiogenic factors. In one embodiment, the mutational status of NRAS is assessed in the biological sample obtained from the subject and considered in combination with pre-treatment concentrations of ANGPT2. In another embodiment, the mutational status of NRAS or KRAS is assessed in the biological sample obtained from the subject and considered in combination with pre-treatment concentrations of ANGPT2. Such combinatorial biomarker analyses provide even stronger predictive value than studying individual biomarkers, and are useful, for example, in predicting responsiveness of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

Statistical analysis can be used to determine which markers when used in combination are better associated with a desired clinical outcome than the individual markers. A non-limiting example of such an analysis is provided in Example 4 of this application.

The combination of the expression levels of VEGFA and ANGPT2 prior to initiation of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) (“pre-treatment”) can be a better predictor of response to the therapy than each of these individual blood biomarkers. For example, if the pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA and ANGPT2 in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.000261)*(Ang2)+(0.00126)*(VEGFA100)−(1.09)<−0.24

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <−0.24 (e.g., −1.0)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) after taking the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects whose concentrations of these factors do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.). For another example, if the pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA, ANGPT2, and GCSF in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.000591)*(ANG290)+(−0.0178)*(GCSF)+(0.00142)*(VEGFA100)−(−0.671)<0.651

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <0.651), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) after taking the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects whose pre-treatment concentrations of these factors do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For further example, if the pre-treatment concentrations of IL13 and MIP1a in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(−0.0459)*(IL13)+(0.0459)*(MIP1a)−(0.0395)<0.268

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <0.268), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) after taking the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects whose concentrations of these factors do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For further example, if the pre-treatment concentrations IL13, MIP1a, and MIP1b in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(−0.0353)*(IL13)+(0.0713)*(MIP1a)+(−0.0154)*(MIP1b)−(0.188)<0.222

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <0.222), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) after taking the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects whose pre-treatment concentrations of these factors do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

The combination of a mutation(s) and the expression levels of VEGFA and MIP1b prior to initiation of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) (“pre-treatment”) can also be a better predictor of response to the therapy than each of these individual mutational and blood biomarkers. For example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA and MIP1b in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(−0.025)*(MIP1b)+(−0.00616)*(VEGFA100)+(3.32)*D(NRAS,WT)−(−0.52)<1.81

(The function D(g, s) is 1 when mutation status of gene(s) g is status s, and 0 when g is not s. The status scan be “WT” (wild type) or “MU” (mutation). For the case of multiple-genes, mutation status is “MU” if one or more genes have mutation and “WT” only for the case that all genes are wild-type) render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <1.81 (e.g., 1.0)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS and whose pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA and MIP1b do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For another example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA, MIP1b, and sVEGFR3 in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(−0.0494)*(MIP1b)+(−0.000472)*(sVEGFR3)+(−0.0119)*(VEGFA100)+(4.66)*D(NRAS,WT)−(−5.9)<3.55

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <3.55 (e.g., 3.0)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS and whose pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA, MIP1b, and sVEGFR3 do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For further example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA, MIP1b, sVEGFR3, and Ang2 in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.00148)*(Ang2)+(−0.0606)*(MIP1b)+(−0.000917)*(sVEGFR3)+(−0.0177)*(VEGFA100)+(6.58)*D(NRAS,WT)−(−5.78)<3.97

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <3.97 (e.g., 3.0)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS and whose pre-treatment concentrations of VEGFA, MIP1b, sVEGFR3, and Ang2 do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For further example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of Ang2 in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.000751)*(Ang2)+(2.69)*D(NRAS,WT)−(3.92)<0.716

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <0.716 (e.g., 0.5)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS and whose pre-treatment concentrations of Ang2 do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For a further example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of ANG2(90) in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.000972)*(ANG290)+(2.75)*D(NRAS,WT)−(2.96)<0.633

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <0.633 (e.g., 0.5)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS and whose pre-treatment concentrations of ANG2(90) do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For another example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS or KRAS (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of ANG2(90) in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.000869)*(ANG290)+(2.16)*D(KRASNRAS,WT)−(2.24)<0.508

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <0.508 (e.g., 0.4)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS or KRAS and whose pre-treatment concentrations of ANG2(90) do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For another example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS, KRAS, or BRAF (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of MIP1a in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(−0.0281)*(MIP1a)+(2.19)*D(BRAFKRASNRAS,WT)−(−0.41)<−0.0348

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <−0.0348 (e.g., −1.0)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS or KRAS or BRAF and whose pre-treatment concentrations of MIP1a do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

For another example, if the sample from the subject has a mutation in NRAS, KRAS, or BRAF (e.g., one of those listed in Table 1 or 2) and the pre-treatment concentrations of IL6, VEGFA, MIP1a, and MIP1b in a subject when entered into the following prediction formula:

(0.126)*(IL6)+(−0.193)*(MIP1a)+(−0.0775)*(MIP1b)+(−0.0514)*(VEGFA100)+(7.94)*D(BRAFKRASNRAS,WT)−(−14.4)<4.69

render this formula true (i.e. if the value is <4.69 (e.g., 3.0)), then the subject is predicted to have a stronger clinical outcome (e.g., progression free survival) with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) than subjects who have wild type NRAS or KRAS or BRAF and whose pre-treatment concentrations of IL6, VEGFA, MIP1a, and MIP1b do not satisfy the formula (slopes, insertions and cut-off value in the formula can be differently optimized when different population of the sample is analyzed.).

Biological Samples

Suitable biological samples for the methods described herein include any biological fluid, cell, tissue, or fraction thereof, which includes analyte biomolecules of interest such as nucleic acid (e.g., DNA or mRNA) or protein. A biological sample can be, for example, a specimen obtained from a subject (e.g., a mammal such as a human) or can be derived from such a subject. For example, a sample can be a tissue section obtained by biopsy, or cells that are placed in or adapted to tissue culture. A biological sample can also be a biological fluid such as urine, blood, plasma, serum, saliva, semen, sputum, cerebral spinal fluid, tears, or mucus, or such a sample absorbed onto a substrate (e.g., glass, polymer, paper). A biological sample can also include a thyroid tissue sample, a renal tissue sample, a tumor sample, circulating tumor cells, and circulating DNA. In specific embodiments, the biological sample is a tumor cell(s) or a cell(s) obtained from a region of the subject suspected of containing a tumor or a pre-cancerous lesion. For example, the biological sample may be a thyroid tumor sample or a renal tumor sample. A biological sample can be further fractionated, if desired, to a fraction containing particular cell types. For example, a blood sample can be fractionated into serum or into fractions containing particular types of blood cells such as red blood cells or white blood cells (leukocytes). If desired, a sample can be a combination of samples from a subject such as a combination of a tissue and fluid sample.

The biological samples can be obtained from a subject, e.g., a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a cancer. In certain embodiments, the subject has a thyroid cancer. In some embodiments, the subject has a differentiated thyroid cancer (e.g., papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer). In other embodiments, the subject has a medullary thyroid cancer. In certain embodiments, the subject has a kidney cancer. In some embodiments, the subject has a renal cell carcinoma. Any suitable methods for obtaining the biological samples can be employed, although exemplary methods include, e.g., phlebotomy, swab (e.g., buccal swab), or fine needle aspirate biopsy procedure. Non-limiting examples of tissues susceptible to fine needle aspiration include lymph node, lung, thyroid, breast, skin, and liver. Samples can also be collected, e.g., by microdissection (e.g., laser capture microdissection (LCM) or laser microdissection (LMD)).

Methods for obtaining and/or storing samples that preserve the activity or integrity of molecules (e.g., nucleic acids or proteins) in the sample are well known to those skilled in the art. For example, a biological sample can be further contacted with one or more additional agents such as appropriate buffers and/or inhibitors, including nuclease, protease and phosphatase inhibitors, which preserve or minimize changes in the molecules (e.g., nucleic acids or proteins) in the sample. Such inhibitors include, for example, chelators such as ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethylene glycol bis(P-aminoethyl ether) N,N,N1,N1-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), protease inhibitors such as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), aprotinin, leupeptin, antipain and the like, and phosphatase inhibitors such as phosphate, sodium fluoride, vanadate and the like. Appropriate buffers and conditions for isolating molecules are well known to those skilled in the art and can be varied depending, for example, on the type of molecule in the sample to be characterized (see, for example, Ausubel et al. Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (Supplement 47), John Wiley & Sons, New York (1999); Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1988); Harlow and Lane, Using Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Press (1999); Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry, 3rd ed. Burtis and Ashwood, eds. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, (1999)). A sample also can be processed to eliminate or minimize the presence of interfering substances. For example, a biological sample can be fractionated or purified to remove one or more materials that are not of interest. Methods of fractionating or purifying a biological sample include, but are not limited to, chromatographic methods such as liquid chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography, or affinity chromatography. For use in the methods described herein, a sample can be in a variety of physical states. For example, a sample can be a liquid or solid, can be dissolved or suspended in a liquid, can be in an emulsion or gel, or can be absorbed onto a material.

Assessing Expression of Biomarkers

Gene expression can be detected as, e.g., protein or mRNA expression of a target gene. That is, the presence or expression level (amount) of a gene can be determined by detecting and/or measuring the level of mRNA or protein expression of the gene. In some embodiments, gene expression can be detected as the activity of a protein encoded by a gene such as a gene depicted in Table 3.

A variety of suitable methods can be employed to detect and/or measure the level of mRNA expression of a gene. For example, mRNA expression can be determined using Northern blot or dot blot analysis, reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR; e.g., quantitative RT-PCR), in situ hybridization (e.g., quantitative in situ hybridization) or nucleic acid array (e.g., oligonucleotide arrays or gene chips) analysis. Details of such methods are described below and in, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual Second Edition vol. 1, 2 and 3. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., USA, November 1989; Gibson et al. (1999) Genome Res., 6(10):995-1001; and Zhang et al. (2005) Environ. Sci. Technol., 39(8):2777-2785; U.S. Publication No. 2004086915; European Patent No. 0543942; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,663; the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In one example, the presence or amount of one or more discrete mRNA populations in a biological sample can be determined by isolating total mRNA from the biological sample (see, e.g., Sambrook et al. (supra) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,341) and subjecting the isolated mRNA to agarose gel electrophoresis to separate the mRNA by size. The size-separated mRNAs are then transferred (e.g., by diffusion) to a solid support such as a nitrocellulose membrane. The presence or amount of one or more mRNA populations in the biological sample can then be determined using one or more detectably-labeled-polynucleotide probes, complementary to the mRNA sequence of interest, which bind to and thus render detectable their corresponding mRNA populations. Detectable-labels include, e.g., fluorescent (e.g., umbelliferone, fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate, rhodamine, dichlorotriazinylamine fluorescein, dansyl chloride, allophycocyanin (APC), or phycoerythrin), luminescent (e.g., europium, terbium, Qdot™ nanoparticles supplied by the Quantum Dot Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif.), radiological (e.g., 1251, 1311, 35S, 32P, 33P, or 3H), and enzymatic (horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, beta-galactosidase, or acetylcholinesterase) labels.

In another example, the presence or amount of discrete populations of mRNA (e.g., mRNA encoded by one or more genes depicted in Table 3) in a biological sample can be determined using nucleic acid (or oligonucleotide) arrays (e.g., an array described below under “Arrays and Kits”). For example, isolated mRNA from a biological sample can be amplified using RT-PCR with, e.g., random hexamer or oligo(dT)-primer mediated first strand synthesis. The amplicons can be fragmented into shorter segments. The RT-PCR step can be used to detectably-label the amplicons, or, optionally, the amplicons can be detectably-labeled subsequent to the RT-PCR step. For example, the detectable-label can be enzymatically (e.g., by nick-translation or kinase such as T4 polynucleotide kinase) or chemically conjugated to the amplicons using any of a variety of suitable techniques (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., supra). The detectably-labeled-amplicons are then contacted with a plurality of polynucleotide probe sets, each set containing one or more of a polynucleotide (e.g., an oligonucleotide) probe specific for (and capable of binding to) a corresponding amplicon, and where the plurality contains many probe sets each corresponding to a different amplicon. Generally, the probe sets are bound to a solid support and the position of each probe set is predetermined on the solid support. The binding of a detectably-labeled amplicon to a corresponding probe of a probe set indicates the presence or amount of a target mRNA in the biological sample. Additional methods for detecting mRNA expression using nucleic acid arrays are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,934; 6,027,880; 6,057,100; 6,156,501; 6,261,776; and 6,576,424; the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Methods of detecting and/or for quantifying a detectable label depend on the nature of the label. The products of reactions catalyzed by appropriate enzymes (where the detectable label is an enzyme; see above) can be, without limitation, fluorescent, luminescent, or radioactive or they may absorb visible or ultraviolet light. Examples of detectors suitable for detecting such detectable labels include, without limitation, x-ray film, radioactivity counters, scintillation counters, spectrophotometers, colorimeters, fluorometers, luminometers, and densitometers.

The expression of a gene can also be determined by detecting and/or measuring expression of a protein encoded by the gene. Methods of determining protein expression are well known in the art. A generally used method involves the use of antibodies specific for the target protein of interest. For example, methods of determining protein expression include, but are not limited to, western blot or dot blot analysis, immunohistochemistry (e.g., quantitative immunohistochemistry), immunocytochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT, Coligan, J. E., et al., eds. (1995) Current Protocols in Immunology. Wiley, New York), or antibody array analysis (see, e.g., U.S. Publication Nos. 20030013208 and 2004171068, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety). Further description of many of the methods above and additional methods for detecting protein expression can be found in, e.g., Sambrook et al. (supra).

In one example, the presence or amount of protein expression of a gene (e.g., a gene depicted in Table 3) can be determined using a western blotting technique. For example, a lysate can be prepared from a biological sample, or the biological sample itself, can be contacted with Laemmli buffer and subjected to sodium-dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). SDS-PAGE-resolved proteins, separated by size, can then be transferred to a filter membrane (e.g., nitrocellulose) and subjected to immunoblotting techniques using a detectably-labeled antibody specific to the protein of interest. The presence or amount of bound detectably-labeled antibody indicates the presence or amount of protein in the biological sample.

In another example, an immunoassay can be used for detecting and/or measuring the protein expression of a gene (e.g., a gene depicted in Table 3). As above, for the purposes of detection, an immunoassay can be performed with an antibody that bears a detection moiety (e.g., a fluorescent agent or enzyme). Proteins from a biological sample can be conjugated directly to a solid-phase matrix (e.g., a multi-well assay plate, nitrocellulose, agarose, sepharose, encoded particles, or magnetic beads) or it can be conjugated to a first member of a specific binding pair (e.g., biotin or streptavidin) that attaches to a solid-phase matrix upon binding to a second member of the specific binding pair (e.g., streptavidin or biotin). Such attachment to a solid-phase matrix allows the proteins to be purified away from other interfering or irrelevant components of the biological sample prior to contact with the detection antibody and also allows for subsequent washing of unbound antibody. Here as above, the presence or amount of bound detectably-labeled antibody indicates the presence or amount of protein in the biological sample.

There is no particular restriction as to the form of the antibody and the present disclosure includes polyclonal antibodies, as well as monoclonal antibodies. The antiserum obtained by immunizing animals, such as rabbits with a protein of the invention, as well polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies of all classes, human antibodies, and humanized antibodies produced by genetic recombination, are also included.

An intact protein or its partial peptide may be used as the antigen for immunization. As partial peptides of the proteins, for example, the amino (N)-terminal fragment of the protein and the carboxy (C)-terminal fragment can be given.

A gene encoding a protein of interest or a fragment thereof is inserted into a known expression vector, and, by transforming the host cells with the vector described herein, the desired protein or a fragment thereof is recovered from outside or inside the host cells using standard methods. This protein can be used as the sensitizing antigen.

Also, cells expressing the protein, cell lysates, or a chemically synthesized protein of the invention may be also used as a sensitizing antigen.

The mammal that is immunized by the sensitizing antigen is not restricted; however, it is preferable to select animals by considering the compatibility with the parent cells used in cell fusion. Generally, animals belonging to the orders rodentia, lagomorpha, or primates are used. Examples of animals belonging to the order of rodentia that may be used include, for example, mice, rats, and hamsters. Examples of animals belonging to the order of lagomorpha that may be used include, for example, rabbits. Examples of animals belonging to the order of primates that may be used include, for example, monkeys. Examples of monkeys to be used include the infraorder catarrhini (old world monkeys), for example, Macaca fascicularis, rhesus monkeys, sacred baboons, and chimpanzees.

Well-known methods may be used to immunize animals with the sensitizing antigen. For example, the sensitizing antigen is injected intraperitoneally or subcutaneously into mammals. Specifically, the sensitizing antigen is suitably diluted and suspended in physiological saline, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and so on, and mixed with a suitable amount of general adjuvant if desired, for example, with Freund's complete adjuvant. Then, the solution is emulsified and injected into the mammal. Thereafter, the sensitizing antigen suitably mixed with Freund's incomplete adjuvant is preferably given several times every 4 to 21 days. A suitable carrier can also be used when immunizing and animal with the sensitizing antigen. After the immunization, the elevation in the level of serum antibody is detected by usual methods.

Polyclonal antibodies against the proteins of the present disclosure can be prepared as follows. After verifying that the desired serum antibody level has been reached, blood is withdrawn from the mammal sensitized with antigen. Serum is isolated from this blood using conventional methods. The serum containing the polyclonal antibody may be used as the polyclonal antibody, or according to needs, the polyclonal antibody-containing fraction may be further isolated from the serum. For example, a fraction of antibodies that specifically recognize the protein of the invention may be prepared by using an affinity column to which the protein is coupled. Then, the fraction may be further purified by using a Protein A or Protein G column in order to prepare immunoglobulin G or M.

To obtain monoclonal antibodies, after verifying that the desired serum antibody level has been reached in the mammal sensitized with the above-described antigen, immunocytes are taken from the mammal and used for cell fusion. For this purpose, splenocytes can be mentioned as preferable immunocytes. As parent cells fused with the above immunocytes, mammalian myeloma cells are preferably used. More preferably, myeloma cells that have acquired the feature, which can be used to distinguish fusion cells by agents, are used as the parent cell.

The cell fusion between the above immunocytes and myeloma cells can be conducted according to known methods, for example, the method by Milstein et al. (Galfre et al., Methods Enzymol. 73:3-46, 1981).

The hybridoma obtained from cell fusion is selected by culturing the cells in a standard selection medium, for example, HAT culture medium (medium containing hypoxanthine, aminopterin, and thymidine). The culture in this HAT medium is continued for a period sufficient enough for cells (non-fusion cells) other than the objective hybridoma to perish, usually from a few days to a few weeks. Then, the usual limiting dilution method is carried out, and the hybridoma producing the objective antibody is screened and cloned.

Other than the above method for obtaining hybridomas, by immunizing an animal other than humans with the antigen, a hybridoma producing the objective human antibodies having the activity to bind to proteins can be obtained by the method of sensitizing human lymphocytes, for example, human lymphocytes infected with the EB virus, with proteins, protein-expressing cells, or lysates thereof in vitro and fusing the sensitized lymphocytes with myeloma cells derived from human, for example, U266, having a permanent cell division ability.

The monoclonal antibodies obtained by transplanting the obtained hybridomas into the abdominal cavity of a mouse and extracting ascites can be purified by, for example, ammonium sulfate precipitation, protein A or protein G column, DEAE ion exchange chromatography, an affinity column to which the protein of the present disclosure is coupled, and so on.

Monoclonal antibodies can be also obtained as recombinant antibodies produced by using the genetic engineering technique (see, for example, Borrebaeck C. A. K and Larrick, J. W., THERAPEUTIC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, Published in the United Kingdom by MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS LTD (1990)). Recombinant antibodies are produced by cloning the encoding DNA from immunocytes, such as hybridoma or antibody-producing sensitized lymphocytes, incorporating into a suitable vector, and introducing this vector into a host to produce the antibody. The present disclosure encompasses such recombinant antibodies as well.

Antibodies or antibody fragments specific for a protein encoded by one or more biomarkers can also be generated by in vitro methods such as phage display.

Moreover, the antibody of the present disclosure may be an antibody fragment or modified-antibody, so long as it binds to a protein encoded by a biomarker of the invention. For instance, Fab, F(ab′)2, Fv, or single chain Fv (scFv) in which the H chain Fv and the L chain Fv are suitably linked by a linker (Huston et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85:5879-5883, (1988)) can be given as antibody fragments. Specifically, antibody fragments are generated by treating antibodies with enzymes, for example, papain or pepsin. Alternatively, they may be generated by constructing a gene encoding an antibody fragment, introducing this into an expression vector, and expressing this vector in suitable host cells (see, for example, Co et al., J. Immunol., 152:2968-2976, 1994; Better et al., Methods Enzymol., 178:476-496, 1989; Pluckthun et al., Methods Enzymol., 178:497-515, 1989; Lamoyi, Methods Enzymol., 121:652-663, 1986; Rousseaux et al., Methods Enzymol., 121:663-669, 1986; Bird et al., Trends Biotechnol., 9:132-137, 1991).

The antibodies may be conjugated to various molecules, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), fluorescent substances, radioactive substances, and luminescent substances. Methods to attach such moieties to an antibody are already established and conventional in the field (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,057,313 and 5,156,840).

Examples of methods that assay the antigen-binding activity of the antibodies include, for example, measurement of absorbance, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), enzyme immunoassay (EIA), radioimmunoassay (RIA), and/or immunofluorescence. For example, when using ELISA, a protein encoded by a biomarker of the invention is added to a plate coated with the antibodies of the present disclosure, and then, the antibody sample, for example, culture supernatants of antibody-producing cells, or purified antibodies are added. Then, secondary antibody recognizing the primary antibody, which is labeled by alkaline phosphatase and such enzymes, is added, the plate is incubated and washed, and the absorbance is measured to evaluate the antigen-binding activity after adding an enzyme substrate such as p-nitrophenyl phosphate. As the protein, a protein fragment, for example, a fragment comprising a C-terminus, or a fragment comprising an N-terminus may be used. To evaluate the activity of the antibody of the invention, BIAcore (Pharmacia) may be used.

By using these methods, the antibody of the invention and a sample presumed to contain a protein of the invention are contacted, and the protein encoded by a biomarker of the invention is detected or assayed by detecting or assaying the immune complex formed between the above-mentioned antibody and the protein.

Mass spectrometry based quantitation assay methods, for example, but not limited to, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based approaches in combination with stable-isotope labeled internal standards, are an alternative to immunoassays for quantitative measurement of proteins. These approaches do not require the use of antibodies and so the analysis can be performed in a cost- and time-efficient manner (see, for example, Addona et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 27:633-641, 2009; Kuzyk et al., Mol. Cell Proteomics, 8:1860-1877, 2009; Paulovich et al., Proteomics Clin. Appl., 2:1386-1402, 2008). In addition, MRM offers superior multiplexing capabilities, allowing for the simultaneous quantification of numerous proteins in parallel. The basic theory of these methods has been well-established and widely utilized for drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics analysis of small molecules.

Methods for detecting or measuring gene expression (e.g., mRNA or protein expression) can optionally be performed in formats that allow for rapid preparation, processing, and analysis of multiple samples. This can be, for example, in multi-welled assay plates (e.g., 96 wells or 386 wells) or arrays (e.g., nucleic acid chips or protein chips). Stock solutions for various reagents can be provided manually or robotically, and subsequent sample preparation (e.g., RT-PCR, labeling, or cell fixation), pipetting, diluting, mixing, distribution, washing, incubating (e.g., hybridization), sample readout, data collection (optical data) and/or analysis (computer aided image analysis) can be done robotically using commercially available analysis software, robotics, and detection instrumentation capable of detecting the signal generated from the assay. Examples of such detectors include, but are not limited to, spectrophotometers, luminometers, fluorimeters, and devices that measure radioisotope decay. Exemplary high-throughput cell-based assays (e.g., detecting the presence or level of a target protein in a cell) can utilize ArrayScan® VTI HCS Reader or KineticScan® HCS Reader technology (Cellomics Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.).

In some embodiments, the expression level of two genes, three genes, four genes, five genes, six genes, seven genes, eight genes, nine genes, 10 genes, 11 genes, 12 genes, 13 genes, 14 genes, 15 genes, 16 genes, 17 genes, 18 genes, 19 genes, 20 genes, 21 genes, 22 genes, 23 genes, at least 24 genes, at least 25 genes or more, or at least two genes, at least three genes, at least four genes, at least five genes, at least six genes, at least seven genes, at least eight genes, at least nine genes, at least 10 genes, at least 11 genes, at least 12 genes, at least 13 genes, at least 14 genes, at least 15 genes, at least 16 genes, at least 17 genes, at least 18 genes, at least 19 genes, at least 20 genes, at least 21 genes, at least 22 genes, at least 23 genes, at least 24 genes, or at least 25 genes or more can be assessed and/or measured.

To aid in detecting the presence or level of expression of one or more of the genes depicted in Table 3, any part of the nucleic acid sequence of the genes can be used, e.g., as hybridization polynucleotide probes or primers (e.g., for amplification or reverse transcription). The probes and primers can be oligonucleotides of sufficient length to provide specific hybridization to an RNA, DNA, cDNA, or fragments thereof derived from a biological sample. Depending on the specific application, varying hybridization conditions can be employed to achieve varying degrees of selectivity of a probe or primer towards target sequence. The primers and probes can be detectably-labeled with reagents that facilitate detection (e.g., fluorescent labels, chemical labels (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,582,789 and 4,563,417), or modified bases).

Standard stringency conditions are described by Sambrook, et al. (supra) and Haymes, et al. Nucleic Acid Hybridization, A Practical Approach, IRL Press, Washington, D.C. (1985). In order for a nucleic acid molecule to serve as a primer or probe it need only be sufficiently complementary in sequence to be able to form a stable double-stranded structure under the particular hybridization conditions (e.g., solvent and salt concentrations) employed.

Hybridization can be used to assess homology between two nucleic acid sequences. A nucleic acid sequence described herein, or a fragment thereof, can be used as a hybridization probe according to standard hybridization techniques. The hybridization of a probe of interest (e.g., a probe containing a portion of a nucleotide sequence described herein or its complement) to DNA, RNA, cDNA, or fragments thereof from a test source is an indication of the presence of DNA or RNA corresponding to the probe in the test source. Hybridization conditions are known to those skilled in the art and can be found in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, N.Y., 6.3.1-6.3.6, 1991. Moderate hybridization conditions are defined as hybridization in 2× sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC) at 30° C., followed by a wash in 1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 50° C. Highly stringent conditions are defined as hybridization in 6×SSC at 45° C., followed by a wash in 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C.

Primers can be used in a variety of PCR-type methods. For example, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques can be used to amplify specific sequences from DNA as well as RNA, including sequences from total genomic DNA or total cellular RNA The PCR primers are designed to flank the region that one is interested in amplifying. Primers can be located near the 5′ end, the 3′ end or anywhere within the nucleotide sequence that is to be amplified. The amplicon length is dictated by the experimental goals. For qPCR, the target length is closer to 100 bp and for standard PCR, it is near 500 bp. Generally, sequence information from the ends of the region of interest or beyond is employed to design oligonucleotide primers that are identical or similar in sequence to opposite strands of the template to be amplified. PCR primers can be chemically synthesized, either as a single nucleic acid molecule (e.g., using automated DNA synthesis in the 3′ to 5′ direction using phosphoramidite technology) or as a series of oligonucleotides. For example, one or more pairs of long oligonucleotides (e.g., >100 nucleotides) can be synthesized that contain the desired sequence, with each pair containing a short segment of complementarity (e.g., about 15 nucleotides) such that a duplex is formed when the oligonucleotide pair is annealed. DNA polymerase is used to extend the oligonucleotides, resulting in a single, double-stranded nucleic acid molecule per oligonucleotide pair.

In addition, the nucleic acid sequences or fragments thereof (e.g., oligonucleotide probes) can be used in nucleic acid arrays (such as the nucleic acid arrays described below under “Arrays”) for detection and/or quantitation of gene expression.

Cut-Off Values

As noted above, the methods described herein can involve, assessing the expression level (e.g., mRNA or protein expression level) of one or more genes (e.g., one or more genes depicted in Table 3), wherein the expression level of one or more of the genes predicts the response of a subject to treatment comprising a lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). “Assessing” can include, e.g., comparing the expression of one or more genes in a test biological sample with a known or a control expression level (e.g., in a reference biological sample) of the particular gene(s) of interest. For example, the expression level of one or more genes in a test biological sample can be compared to the corresponding expression levels in a subject who has responded or failed to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), or an average or median expression level of multiple (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 or more) subjects, of the same species, who have responded or have failed to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Assessing can also include determining if the expression level of one or more genes (e.g., one or more genes as depicted in Table 3) falls within a range of values predetermined as predictive of responsiveness of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In some embodiments, assessing can be, or include, determining if the expression of one or more genes (e.g., one or more of the genes depicted in Table 3) falls above or below a predetermined cut-off value. A cut-off value is typically an expression level of a gene, or ratio of the expression level of a gene with the expression level of another gene, above or below which is considered predictive of responsiveness of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Thus, in accordance with the methods (and compositions) described herein, a reference expression level of a gene (e.g., a gene depicted in Table 3) is identified as a cut-off value, above or below of which is predictive of responsiveness to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Some cut-off values are not absolute in that clinical correlations can still remain significant over a range of values on either side of the cutoff however, it is possible to select an optimal cut-off value (e.g. varying H-scores) of expression levels of genes for a particular sample types. Cut-off values determined for use in the methods described herein can be compared with, e.g., published ranges of expression levels but can be individualized to the methodology used and patient population. It is understood that improvements in optimal cut-off values could be determined depending on the sophistication of statistical methods used and on the number and source of samples used to determine reference level values for the different genes and sample types. Therefore, established cut-off values can be adjusted up or down, on the basis of periodic re-evaluations or changes in methodology or population distribution.

The reference expression level of one or more genes can be determined by a variety of methods. The reference level can be determined by comparison of the expression level of a gene of interest in, e.g., populations of subjects (e.g., patients) that are responsive to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) or not responsive to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. This can be accomplished, for example, by histogram analysis, in which an entire cohort of patients are graphically presented, wherein a first axis represents the expression level of a gene and a second axis represents the number of subjects in the cohort whose sample contain one or more expression levels at a given amount. Determination of the reference expression level of a gene can then be made based on an amount which best distinguishes these separate groups. The reference level can be a single number, equally applicable to every subject, or the reference level can vary, according to specific subpopulations of subjects. For example, older subjects can have a different reference level than younger subjects for the same metabolic disorder. In addition, a subject with more advanced disease (e.g., a more advanced form of a disease treatable by lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate)) can have a different reference value than one with a milder form of the disease.

Creating a Response Profile

The methods described herein can also be used to generate a lenvatinib (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) therapy response profile for a subject. The profile can include information that indicates whether one or more of the mutations such as those listed in Tables 1 and 2 are present in a sample from the subject; and/or information that indicates the expression level of one or more genes (e.g., one or more genes depicted in Table 3); and/or the expression ratio of thyroglobulin in a sample (e.g., plasma, serum) of the subject post/pre-treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and/or the histological analysis of any tumors (e.g., whether a thyroid cancer is a FTC or PTC). A lenvatinib therapy response profile can include the expression level of one or more additional genes and/or other proteomic markers, serum markers, or clinical markers. The response profiles described herein can contain information on the expression or expression level of at least two, at least three, at least four, at least five, at least six, at least seven, at least eight, at least nine, at least 10, at least 11, at least 12, at least 13, at least 14, at least 15, at least 16, at least 17, at least 18, at least 19, at least 20, at least 21, at least 22, at least 23, at least 24, or at least 25 genes listed in Table 3. The response profiles described herein can also contain information on the presence of mutations (if any) and the nature of the mutation(s) in any one or more of the following genes: NRAS, KRAS, VHL, BRAF, ERBB2, PTEN and MET. The resultant information (lenvatinib therapy response profile) can be used for predicting the response of a subject (e.g., a human patient) to a treatment comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). In addition, the response profiles can be used in predicting the response of a subject to a variety of therapies and/or a variety of disease states since, e.g., the expression levels of one or more of the genes (e.g., one or more of the genes depicted in Table 3), the mutations, the thyroglobulin levels, and/or the histological data examined can be indicative of such responses or disorders, whether or not physiologic or behavioral symptoms of the disorder have become apparent.

It is understood that a lenvatinib (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) response profile can be in electronic form (e.g., an electronic patient record stored on a computer or other electronic (computer-readable) media such as a DVD, CD, or floppy disk) or written form. The lenvatinib (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) response profile can also include information for several (e.g., two, three, four, five, 10, 20, 30, 50, or 100 or more) subjects (e.g., human patients). Such multi-subject response profiles can be used, e.g., in analyses (e.g., statistical analyses) of particular characteristics of subject cohorts.

Responsiveness of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) can be classified in several ways and classification is dependent on the subject's disease (e.g., thyroid cancer, a kidney cancer, or any other of the diseases treatable by therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate)), the severity of the disease, and the particular medicament the subject is administered. In the simplest sense, responsiveness is any decrease in the disease state as compared to pre-treatment, and non-responsiveness is the lack of any change in the disease state as compared to pre-treatment. Responsiveness of a subject (e.g., a human) with a cancer can be classified based on one or more of a number of objective clinical indicia such as, but not limited to, tumor size, Clinical Benefit (CB), Overall Survival (OS), Progression Free Survival (PFS), Disease Control Rate (DCR), Time-To-Response (TTR), Tumor Shrinkage (TS), or Tumor Response (TR).

“Clinical benefit” refers to having one of the following statuses—Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR); or Stable Disease (SD) with 6 months or more progression free survival (PFS). “Complete Response” means complete disappearance of all target lesions. “Partial Response” means at least 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline summed LD. “Progressive Disease” (PD) means at least 20% increase in the sum of the LD of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest summed LD recorded since the treatment started, or the appearance of one or more new lesions. “Stable Disease” means neither sufficient shrinkage of the target lesions to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (PD), taking as reference the smallest summed LD since the treatment started.

“Overall Survival” (OS) is defined as the time from randomization until death from any cause. “Randomization” means randomization of a patient into a test group or a control group when therapy plan for a patient is determined.

“Progression Free Survival” (PFS) refers to the period from start date of treatment to the last date before entering PD status.

“Disease Control Rate” (DCR) is defined as CR or PR or SD for 7 weeks.

“Time-To-Response” (TTR) is defined as the time from the date of initiation of treatment to the date when criteria for response (CR or PR) are first met.

“Tumor shrinkage” (TS) means percent change of sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.

“Tumor response” (TR) compares subjects with “Partial Response” (PR) with subjects with either Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD).

Methods of Treatment

The methods disclosed herein enable the assessment of a subject for responsiveness to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). A subject who is likely to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) can be administered lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

The methods of this disclosure also enable the classification of subjects into groups of subjects that are more likely to benefit, and groups of subjects that are less likely to benefit, from treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). The ability to select such subjects from a pool of subjects who are being considered for treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is beneficial for effective treatment.

The methods of this disclosure can also be used to determine whether to continue treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) after administering this therapy for a short period of time and determining based on the expression profile of one or more of the biomarkers described above post-treatment or post-treatment versus pre-treatment whether this therapy is more likely or less likely to benefit the patient.

Lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) shows potent anti-tumor effects in xenograft models of various tumors by inhibiting angiogenesis. The subjects who are considered for treatment with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) include, but are not limited to, subjects having, suspected of having, or likely to develop a thyroid cancer or a kidney cancer (e.g., renal cell carcinoma).

In one embodiment, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is a cancerous tumor or growth located within the thyroid gland. It is the most common endocrine cancer and is one of the few cancers that has increased in incidence rates over recent years. It occurs in all age groups from children through seniors. The American Cancer Society estimates that there were about 44,670 new cases of thyroid cancer in the U.S. in 2010. Of these new cases, about 33,930 were in women and about 10,740 in men. About 1,690 people (960 women and 730 men) died of thyroid cancer in 2010. Many patients, especially in the early stages of thyroid cancer, do not experience symptoms. However, as the cancer develops, symptoms can include a lump or nodule in the front of the neck, hoarseness or difficulty speaking, swollen lymph nodes, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and pain in the throat or neck. There are several types of thyroid cancer: papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants. Papillary carcinoma is the most common type accounting for approximately 85% of all thyroid cancers, and usually affects women of childbearing age. It spreads slowly and is the least dangerous type of thyroid cancer. Follicular carcinoma accounts for about 10% of all cases and is more likely to come back and spread. Medullary carcinoma is a cancer of nonthyroid cells that are normally present in the thyroid gland. This form of the thyroid cancer tends to occur in families. It requires different treatment than other types of thyroid cancer. Anaplastic carcinoma (also called giant and spindle cell cancer) is the most dangerous form of thyroid cancer. It is rare, and does not respond to radioiodine therapy. Anaplastic carcinoma spreads quickly and invades nearby structures such as the windpipe (trachea), causing breathing difficulties. Variants include tall cell, insular, columnar, and Hurthle cell. Lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) can be used to treat a subject having, suspected of having, or likely to develop any of the above-described thyroid cancers. In certain embodiments, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a differentiated thyroid cancer. In other embodiments, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a medullary thyroid cancer. In one embodiment, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a papillary thyroid cancer. In another embodiment, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a follicular thyroid cancer. In another embodiment, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a Hürthle-cell thyroid cancer.

In one embodiment, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a kidney cancer. Kidney cancer is usually defined as a cancer that originates in the kidney. The two most common types of kidney cancer, reflecting their location within the kidney, are renal cell carcinoma (RCC, also known as hypernephroma) and urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the renal pelvis. Other, less common types of kidney cancer include: Squamous cell carcinoma, Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (reninoma), Angiomyolipoma, Renal oncocytoma, Bellini duct carcinoma, Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, Mesoblastic nephroma, Wilms' tumor, and mixed epithelial stromal tumor. RCC is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, the very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 80% of cases. It is also known to be the most lethal of all the genitourinary tumors. Initial treatment is most commonly a radical or partial nephrectomy and remains the mainstay of curative treatment. Where the tumor is confined to the renal parenchyma, the 5-year survival rate is 60-70%, but this is lowered considerably where metastases have spread. It is resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, although some cases respond to immunotherapy. Lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) can be used to treat a subject having, suspected of having, or likely to develop any of the above-described kidney cancers. In a specific embodiment, the subject to be treated with lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) has, is suspected of having, or is likely to develop a renal cell carcinoma.

If the subject is more likely to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (based on presence of mutational biomarkers and/or expression levels/ratios of the biomarkers described above), the subject can then be administered an effective amount of the lenvatinib compound (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). An effective amount of the compound can suitably be determined by a health care practitioner taking into account, for example, the characteristics of the patient (age, sex, weight, race, etc.), the progression of the disease, and prior exposure to the drug. If the subject is less likely to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), the subject can then be optionally administered a therapy that does not comprise lenvatinib. These therapies include, but are not limited to, radioactive iodine, doxorubicin, carboplatin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, sorafenib, docetaxel, trastumab, interleukin-2, interferon, everolimus, sunitinib, pazopanib, vandetanib, and “standard of care” treatment (i.e., prevailing standard of care as determined by the health care practitioner or as specified in the clinical study) such as investigational drugs and chemotherapy.

Subjects of all ages can be affected by disorders treatable by lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Therefore, a biological sample used in a methods described herein can be obtained from a subject (e.g., a human) of any age, including a child, an adolescent, or an adult, such as an adult having, or suspected of having, a disease (e.g., papillary thyroid cancer, renal cell carcinoma) treatable by lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

The methods can also be applied to individuals at risk of developing a cancer treatable by lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate). Such individuals include those who have (i) a family history of (a genetic predisposition for) such disorders or (ii) one or more risk factors for developing such disorders.

After classifying or selecting a subject based on whether the subject will be more likely or less likely to respond to lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), a medical practitioner (e.g., a doctor) can administer the appropriate therapeutic modality to the subject. Methods of administering lenvatinib therapies are well known in the art.

It is understood that any therapy described herein (e.g., a therapy comprising a lenvatinib or a therapy that does not comprise a lenvatinib) can include one or more additional therapeutic agents. That is, any therapy described herein can be co-administered (administered in combination) with one or more additional therapeutic agents such as, but not limited to, doxorubicin, carboplatin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, trastumab, interleukin-2, interferon and everolimus. Furthermore, any therapy described herein can include one or more agents for treating, for example, pain, nausea, and/or one or more side-effects of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

Combination therapies (e.g., co-administration of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and one or more additional therapeutic agents) can be, e.g., simultaneous or successive. For example, lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) and one or more additional therapeutic agents can be administered at the same time or a lenvatinib compound (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) can be administered first in time and the one or more additional therapeutic agents administered second in time. In some embodiments, the one or more additional therapeutic agents can be administered first in time and lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) administered second in time.

In cases where the subject predicted to respond to a lenvatinib (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) therapy has been previously administered one or more non-lenvatinib therapies, the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) can replace or augment a previously or currently administered therapy. For example, upon treating with the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), administration of the one non-lenvatinib therapies can cease or diminish, e.g., be administered at lower levels. Administration of the previous therapy can be maintained while the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) is administered. In some embodiments, a previous therapy can be maintained until the level of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) reaches a level sufficient to provide a therapeutic effect.

Arrays

Nucleic acid arrays including the nucleic acid biomarkers disclosed herein are useful in, e.g., detecting gene expression and/or measuring gene expression levels. The arrays are also useful for e.g., in predicting the response of a subject to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), for identifying subjects who can benefit from a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), and for steering subjects who would not likely benefit from a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate) to other cancer therapies.

An array is an orderly arrangement of samples where matching of known and unknown DNA samples is done based on base pairing rules (e.g., Adenosine pairs with Thymine or Uracil; Guanosine pairs with Cytosine). A typical microarray experiment involves the hybridization of an mRNA, a cDNA molecule, or fragments thereof, to a DNA template from which it is originated or derived. Many DNA samples are used to construct an array. An array experiment makes use of common assay systems such as microplates or standard blotting membranes. The sample spot sizes are typically less than 200 microns in diameter and the array usually contains thousands of spots. Thousands of spotted samples known as probes (with known identity) are immobilized on a substrate (e.g., a microscope glass slides, silicon chips, nylon membrane). The spots can be DNA, cDNA, or oligonucleotides. These are used to determine complementary binding of the unknown sequences thus allowing parallel analysis for gene expression and gene discovery. An experiment with a single DNA chip can provide information on thousands of genes simultaneously. An orderly arrangement of the probes on the support is important as the location of each spot on the array is used for the identification of a gene. The amount of mRNA bound to each site on the array indicates the expression level of the various genes that are included on the array. By using an array containing many DNA samples, one can determine, in a single experiment, the expression levels of hundreds or thousands of genes by measuring the amount of mRNA bound to each site on the array. With the aid of a computer, the amount of mRNA bound to the spots on the microarray can be precisely measured, generating a profile of gene expression in the cell.

The two main DNA microarray platforms that are generally used are cDNA and oligonucleotide microarrays. cDNA microarrays are made with long double-stranded DNA molecules generated by enzymatic reactions such as PCR (Schena, M. et al., Science, 270:467-470 (1995)), while oligonucleotide microarrays employ oligonucleotide probes spotted by either robotic deposition or in situ synthesis on a substrate (Lockhart, D. J. et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 14, 1675-1680 (1996)).

Kits

This application also provides kits. In some embodiments, the kits include probes that can be used to identify or detect any of the biomarkers of Table 3. In some embodiments, the kits include primers that can be used to amplify the region containing any of the mutations listed in Table 1 and/or Table 2. In some embodiments, the kits include any of the nucleic acid arrays described herein. In certain embodiments, the kits include antibodies that can be used to detect thyroglobulin or to detect any of the biomarkers of Table 3 or their expression or expression levels. In some embodiments, the kits include probes and antibodies that can be used to identify or detect any of the biomarkers of Table 3 or their expression or expression levels. The kits can, optionally, contain instructions for detecting and/or measuring the level of one or more genes in a biological sample.

The kits can optionally include, e.g., a control biological sample or control labeled-amplicon set containing known amounts of one or more amplicons recognized by nucleic acid probes of the array. In some instances, the control can be an insert (e.g., a paper insert or electronic medium such as a CD, DVD, or floppy disk) containing expression level ranges of one or more genes predictive of a response to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

In some embodiments, the kits can include one or more reagents for processing a biological sample. For example, a kit can include reagents for isolating a protein from a biological sample and/or reagents for detecting the presence and/or amount of a protein in a biological sample (e.g., an antibody that binds to the protein that is the subject of the detection assay and/or an antibody that binds the antibody that binds to the protein).

In some embodiments, the kits can include a software package for analyzing the results of, e.g., a microarray analysis or expression profile.

The kits can also include one or more antibodies for detecting the protein expression of any of the genes described herein. For example, a kit can include (or in some cases consist of) a plurality of antibodies capable of specifically binding to one or more proteins encoded by any of the genes depicted in Table 3 and optionally, instructions for detecting the one or more proteins and/or a detection antibody comprising a detectably-labeled antibody that is capable of binding to at least one antibody of the plurality. In some embodiments, the kits can include antibodies that recognize one, at least two, at least three, at least four, at least five, at least six, at least seven, at least eight, at least nine, at least 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 or 46 proteins encoded by genes depicted in Table 3.

The kits described herein can also, optionally, include instructions for administering a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate), where the expression level of one or more genes detectable by the array predicts that a subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g., lenvatinib mesylate).

The following are examples of the practice of the invention. They are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.

EXAMPLES Example 1: Mutation Status as Predictive Biomarkers for Responsiveness to Therapy Comprising E7080 Purpose:

Tumor response and prolonged disease stabilization were observed in differentiated thyroid cancer patients treated in phase II with E7080 (lenvatinib). This experiment was directed at identifying amino acid mutations that are useful in predicting whether subjects respond to treatment with E7080 using three criteria of response: best overall response, tumor shrinkage, and progression free survival.

Materials and Methods:

Tissue samples were obtained at surgery before the patients had received any therapy comprising E7080 and were routinely processed with formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissues (FFPE). The protocol that was used was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from each subject. Tumor tissue samples from 27 patients, for which tissues were available, were used for mutation analysis. DNA was isolated from FFPE tumor blocks collected from patients participating in the trial. Genomic DNA was extracted from two to five 10 micron unstained sections by deparaffinization and Qiagen DNA Mini Kit Tissue Protocol with minor modification. For mutation detection, the SEQUENOM® (San Diego, Calif.) platform and the OncoCarta™ Panel v1.0 and OncoCarta™ Panel v3.0 were used (see, www.sequenom.com/Files/Genetic-Analysis---Graphics/All-Application---PDFs/AssayExplorer2010_1110-Web/. Sequenom's OncoCarta™ Panels are a set of pre-designed and pre-validated assays for efficient mutation screening. The OncoCarta™ Panel v1.0 genes and the number of mutations (in parentheses) are: ABL1 (14); AKT1 (7); AKT2 (2); BRAF (25); CDK4 (2); EGFR (40); ERBB2 (9); FGFR1 (2); FGRF3 (7); FLT3 (3); HRAS (10); JAK2 (1); KIT (32); KRAS (16); MET (5); NRAS (19); PDGFRA (11); PIK3CA (14); and RET (6). The OncoCarta™ Panel v3.0 genes and the number of mutations (in parentheses) are: ABL1 (2) AKT1 (1); APC (12); BRAF (19); CDKN2A(7); CSFIR (6); CTTNB1 (28); EGFR (32); ERBB2 (2); FLT3 (3); HRAS (2); JAK3 (3); KIT (3); KRAS (5); MET (6); MLH1 (1); MYC (6); PDGFRA (11); PIK3CA (4); PTEN (14); RB1 (11); RET (13); SRC (1); STK11 (12); P53 (7); and VH1 (7). OncoCarta™ Panel v3.0 genes and the number of mutations (in parentheses) are: ABL1 (2) AKT1 (1); APC (12); BRAF (19); CDKN2A(7); CSF1R (6); CTTNB1 (28); EGFR (32); ERBB2 (2); FLT3 (3); HRAS (2); JAK3 (3); KIT (3); KRAS (5); MET (6); MLH1 (1); MYC (6); PDGFRA(11); PIK3CA (4); PTEN (14); RB1 (11); RET (13); SRC (1); STK11 (12); P53 (7); and VH1 (7).

DNA was amplified using the OncoCarta™ PCR primer pools, unincorporated nucleotides were inactivated by shrimp alkaline phosphatase (SAP), and a single base extension reaction was performed using extension primers that hybridize immediately adjacent to the mutations and a custom mixture of nucleotides. Salts were removed by the addition of a cation exchange resin. Multiplexed reactions were spotted onto the SpectroChipII, and mutations, if present, were resolved by MALDI-TOF on the Compact Mass Spectrometer (Sequenom®, San Diego, Calif.). The OncoCarta™ Panel v1.0 (Sequenom®, San Diego, Calif.) consists of 24 pools of primer pairs and 24 pools of extension primers, and has the capacity to detect 225 mutations in 19 genes. The OncoCarta™ Panel v 3.0 consists of 24 pools of primer pairs and 24 pools of extension primers, and has the capacity to detect 218 mutations in 26 genes. Each pool consists of 5-9 primer pairs in the PCR reaction. Two types of assays have been designed in the OncoCarta panel, referred to as simple and complex. The simple assays are those in which a single assay is able to detect the amino acid changes at that codon. The complex assays are those that require more than one assay to identify codon changes or deletions and insertion, and thus are able to detect multiple different amino acid substitutions or deletions. An example of a complex assay involves the use of the KRAS_1 and KRAS_2 assays, which interrogates 2 different nucleotide positions within codon 12 and together identify all codon 12 amino acid changes. In the KRAS G12R mutation, the mutant allele has the codon CGT (Arginine) in contrast to the wild type allele which has the GGT (Glycine) codon. So, the first nucleotide of codon 12 needs to be “C” and second nucleotide needs to be “G”. The KRAS_2 assay reveals which nucleotide is incorporated into the first nucleotide of the codon 12, and the KRAS_1 assay is for the second nucleotide. Together, the data from these two assays detects the G12R substitution. For the BRAF V600E mutation (GTG to GAG), BRAF_16 assay (for the first nucleotide of the codon 600) identifies “G” and BRAF_15 (for the second nucleotide) identifies “A”. For the VHL P81S mutation, the mutant allele has TCG (Serine) whereas the wild type allele has CCG (Proline). The VHL_498 assay reveals which nucleotide is incorporated into the first nucleotide of the codon 81. For the KRAS Q61R mutation, the KRAS_7 assay discriminates the mutant allele (CGA, Arginine) from the wild type allele (CAA, Glutamine) by examining nucleotide variation in the second position of the codon. In the case of NRAS codon 61, there are three known mutations, Q61L (CAA to CTA), Q61R (CAA to CGA) and Q61P (CAA to CCA). The NRAS_6 assay detects nucleotide variation in the second position of the codon. Even more complex assays are also included in OncoCarta™, which interrogate insertions and deletions within the EGFR gene.

Data analysis was performed using MassArray Type Analyzer software (Sequenom®), which facilitates visualization of data patterns as well as the raw spectra. All mutations from the Onco mutation report were reviewed manually to identify “real” mutant peaks from salt peaks or other background peaks.

The period during which a patient takes E7080 was artificially divided into different Cycles for ease of evaluation and tracking. Patients received E7080 at a dose of 24 mg oral once daily in 28 day cycles. For analysis purposes, assessments of clinical outcomes were performed at the time of the 9 month and at 14 month minimum follow-up. For the E7080 Thyroid Cancer trial, each Cycle is 28 days (4 weeks) so Day 1-28 is cycle 1; Day 29 is Day 1 of Cycle 2; and Day 57 is Day 1 of Cycle 3. Blood samples were collected for pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis on Cycle 1 Days 1 and 8, Cycle 2 Day 1, and Cycle 3 Day 1. A total of 9 samples per patient were collected as follows: Cycle 1 Day 1: immediately prior to the dose of E7080, and at 0.5 and 2 hours following the first dose of E7080 (post-dose); Cycle 1 Day 8: immediately prior to the dose of E7080; Cycle 2 Day 1: immediately prior to the dose of E7080, 0.5 and 2 hours post-dose; Cycle 3 Day 1: immediately prior to the dose of E7080 and 2 hours post-dose. For analysis of progression free survival, PK parameter was used as a covariate in Cox proportional hazards model.

The three criteria of response: best overall response, tumor shrinkage, and progression free survival are defined below.

“Best Overall Response” (BOR) refers to having one of the following statuses—Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR), Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD).

“Clinical benefit” (CB) refers to having one of the following statuses—Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR); or Stable Disease (SD) with 6 months or more progression free survival (PFS).

“Complete Response” means complete disappearance of all target lesions.

“Partial Response” means at least 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline summed LD.

“Progressive Disease” (PD) means at least 20% increase in the sum of the LD of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest summed LD recorded since the treatment started, or the appearance of one or more new lesions.

“Stable Disease” means neither sufficient shrinkage of the target lesions to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (PD), taking as reference the smallest summed LD since the treatment started.

“Progression Free Survival” (PFS) refers to the period from start date of treatment to the last date before entering PD status.

“Tumor shrinkage” (TS) means percent change of sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.

Results:

A total of 443 mutations among 33 genes were tested using OncoCarta™ Panel v1.0 and OncoCarta™ Panel v3.0 mutation panel and mutations were found in 16 of the 23 subjects we examined. From 27 patients, 23 patient samples were analyzed using OncoCarta™ Panel v1.0 and using OncoCarta™ Panel v3.0. 12 mutations among 10 genes were identified and are listed in Table 4. 7 patients were wild type for all genes tested.

TABLE 4 Summary of Mutations Found in DTC Patients No. of pa- Mutation tient BRAF NRAS KRAS VHL Other mutation 1 WT Q61P WT P81S ERBB2(S779_P780insVGS) 2 WT Q61R WT P81S PTEN(N323fs*2) 3 WT Q61R WT WT 4 WT Q61R WT WT 5 WT Q61R WT WT 6 WT Q61R WT P81S 7 V600E WT WT WT 8 V600E WT WT WT myc(A59V) 9 V600E WT WT WT 10 V600E WT WT WT 11 WT WT WT P81S 12 WT WT 061R WT 13 WT WT G12R WT 14 WT WT WT WT PI3KCA(E545A.E545G) 15 WT WT WT WT TP53(R248W) 16 WT WT WT WT MET(T1010I.T992I)

The Genbank® accession number for: BRAF is NM_004333.3; for NRAS is NM_002524.2; for KRAS is NM_033360.2 (variant A) and NM_004985.3 (variant B); and for VHL is NM_000551.2 (variant 1) and NM_198156.1 (variant 2).

Best overall response was significantly better in patients whose tumor had mutations in any of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, VHL-1 genes (Fishers exact test) as shown in Table 5. For example, 8 out of 8 patients with either an NRAS or KRAS mutation had partial response (PR), while only 5 out of 14 patients had PR without mutations in NRAS and KRAS.

TABLE 5 Mutation and Best Overall Response (BOR) Mutation BOR p-value (any of gene) (fisher's exact) BRAF.NRAS 0.038 KRAS.NRAS 0.007 BRAF.KRAS.NRAS 0.010 BRAF.VHL 0.042 BRAF.KRAS.VHL 0.034 KRAS.NRAS.VHL 0.020 BRAF.KRAS.NRAS.VHL 0.012 Mutation (any of gene) BOR WT MU BRAF.NRAS PR 5 8 SD 6 1 PD 2 0 KRAS.NRAS PR 5 8 SD 7 0 PD 2 0 BRAF.KRAS.NRAS PR 3 10 SD 6 1 PD 2 0 BRAF.VHL PR 10 6 SD 5 0 PD 0 2 BRAF.KRAS.VHL PR 8 8 SD 5 0 PD 0 2 KRAS.NRAS.VHL PR 5 8 SD 7 0 PD 1 1 BRAF.KRAS.NRAS.VHL PR 3 10 SD 6 1 PD 1 1 * Tumor size of 1 wild type patient was not evaluable

Patients with mutations in either NRAS, either NRAS or KRAS, or either BRAF, KRAS, or NRAS, had a larger decrease of tumor size indicated as percent change in tumor shrinkage, compared with patients that were wild type for NRAS, KRAS and BRAF (see, Table 6).

TABLE 6 Mutation and % of Maximum Tumor Shrinkage % of tumor shrinkage Gene Wild (Median) p (any of gene) type* Mutation wild type mutation value NRAS 16 6 −35.5 −45.5 0.042 KRAS.NRAS 14 8 −31.0 −44.5 0.022 *Tumor size of 1 wild type patient was not evaluable

The association of gene mutations with progression free survival of treated patients was analyzed first by performing Logrank test and then using Cox proportional hazards model with or without covariates. The covariate used are the following PK parameters: cycle 1 day 1 Cmax (E7080 concentration 2 hr after dosing on cycle 1 day 1: MAX1); cycle1 day1 Ctrough (E7080 concentration before dosing on cycle1 day 8:MIN1); cycle2 day1 Cmax (E7080 concentration 2 hrs after dosing on cycle2 day 1:MAX2); cycle2 day1 Ctrough (E7080 concentration before dosing on cycle 2 day 1:MIN2). The Logrank test demonstrated that patients with mutations in NRAS alone or with mutations in either NRAS or KRAS had better progression free survival than those patients who were wild type for NRAS or KRAS (FIG. 1). Cox proportional hazards model also demonstrated that patients with mutations in either NRAS, KRAS, or VHL and mutations in either NRAS, KRAS, or BRAF had better progression free survival than those who did not have mutations based on cox proportion hazard test with a covariate of cycle1 day1 Ctrough (MIN1), since wild type set as 1 and mutation set as 0 and coefficients lower than 0 makes lower hazard for mutation (see, Table 7).

TABLE 7 Gene Mutation and Progression Free Survival Mutation PK (any of gene) n Coef p value MIN1 KRAS.NRAS 23 −1.586 0.043 NRAS 23 −2.091 0.047 BRAF.KRAS.NRAS 23 −1.428 0.032 0.037 KRAS.NRAS 23 −2.629 0.021 0.007 KRAS.NRAS.VHL 23 −1.700 0.043 0.018

Conclusion:

Mutations in a small set of genes, such as anyone or a combination of NRAS, KRAS, BRAF, and VHL in thyroid tumors are useful in predicting the clinical response of a patient presenting with, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, thyroid cancer to a therapy comprising E7080.

Example 2: Thyroglobulin as a Biomarker for Therapy Comprising E7080 in Thyroid Tumors Purpose:

This experiment was directed at determining whether changes in thyroglobulin levels are predictive of whether patients respond to treatment with E7080 using three criteria of clinical response: tumor response, tumor shrinkage, and progression free survival.

Material and Methods:

The serum for the thyroglobulin assays was collected within 72 hours prior to Day 1 of all cycles. 24 mg of E7080 was administered orally, daily continuously in 28-day cycles. Serum samples from 58 patients were used for thyroglobulin measurements. 6 mL of blood was drawn into red top tubes and let to clot at room temperature for at least 30 min. Within 60 minutes of sample collection, the tubes were centrifuged for 15 minutes at 20-25° C. at 1000×g. The supernatant was drawn without disturbing the pellet, put into sample tubes with serum filter and shipped frozen to the central lab for testing on the day of collection. The level of thyroglobulin was detected by a solid-phase, chemiluminescent immunometric assay (IMMULITE 2000 Thyroglobulin Assay System, Siemens) following standard operating procedure. In brief, serum thyroglobulin was captured by beads coated with anti-thyroglobulin antibody and detected using anti-thyroglobulin antibody linked to alkaline phosphatase. The level of serum thyroglobulin was calculated from a standard curve generated with lyophilized thyroglobulin. Serum thyroglobulin was stable for up to 2 months when stored frozen for the assay. The sensitivity of this assay was 0.2 ng/ml.

Results:

From 58 patient samples, 50 pre- and post-treatment blood samples at maximum were used for these analyses. Dramatic changes in thyroglobulin levels were observed 29 days after the start of treatment with E7080. Thyroglobulin levels significantly decreased 48 days (within 2 cycles) after treatment with E7080 and the decrease continued to cycle 8.

Changes in thyroglobulin levels in groups of patient, who have partial response (PR) with E7080, was significantly lower than those in groups of patients, who have either stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD) (Mann Whitney U test, FIG. 2; ∘ median of PR groups, ● median of Others—SD or PD and Table 8, top). Also changes in thyroglobulin levels were associated with tumor shrinkage after completion of cycle 2 (56 days after treatment) (Speaman's rank correlation test, Table 8, middle). Cox proportional hazard test demonstrated that progression free survival of patients was associated with changes in thyroglobulin levels 28 days after treatment with E7080, indicating larger decrease predict longer PFS (Table 8, bottom).

TABLE 8 Changes in Thyroglobulin Levels After E7080 Treatment (a) Large decrease of thyroglobulin level in group of patients with PR PR group Other group Factor Time point n median IQR Median IQR p value Thyroglobulin CYCLE2 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 49 0.195 0.233 0.288 0.460 0.154 CYCLE3 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 44 0.109 0.144 0.221 0.243 0.034 CYCLE4 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 44 0.079 0.112 0.227 0.390 0.007 CYCLE5 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 42 0.106 0.119 0.332 0.403 0.019 CYCLE6 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 40 0.078 0.133 0.198 0.235 0.044 (b) Association of large decrease of thyroglobulin level to % of tumor shrinkage maximum tumor shrinkage Factor Time point Correlation (r) p value Thyroglobulin CYCLE2 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 0.163 0.280 CYCLE3 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 0.342 0.026 CYCLE4 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 0.467 0.002 CYCLE5 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 0.443 0.004 CYCLE6 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 0.358 0.023 (c) Association of a change of thyroglobulin level to PFS after 1 cycle treatment with E7080 Factor Time & category n Coef p value Thyroglobulin CYCLE2 DAY 1/CYCLE1 DAY 1 49 0.995 0.039

Conclusion:

Changes in thyroglobulin levels following E7080 therapy are associated to tumor response, decrease of tumor size, and progression free survival and may be used to predict clinical response as early as 4 weeks after treatment with E7080. Thus, thyroglobulin levels are helpful in assessing whether to continue therapy comprising E7080.

Example 3: Cytokine, Chemokine, and Angiogenic Factors (Blood Biomarkers) as Predictive and Response Biomarkers of E7080 Purpose:

Angiogenesis is regulated by signaling through multiple growth factor receptors, such as VEGF and FGF receptor. VEGF receptor signaling is also associated with immune cell function. The purpose of this analysis was to measure cytokine, chemokine and angiogenic factors (collectively referred to herein as “blood biomarkers”) in serum samples obtained from patients in clinical trials at both pre- and post-treatment with E7080 and to identify blood biomarkers which can be used to predict whether patients will respond to treatment with E7080. For these analyses, three criteria of response were employed, namely: tumor response, % of tumor shrinkage and progression free survival.

“Tumor response” (TR) compares subjects with “Partial Response” (PR) with subjects with either Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD).

Materials and Methods:

Patients received E7080 at a dose of 24 mg oral once daily in 28 day cycles. Serum samples were collected at Cycle 1 Day 1 (pre-treatment), Cycle 1 Day 8 and Cycle 2 Day8 (i.e., day 36 post-treatment). 7.5 mL of blood was drawn into serum stainless steel tube (SST) and let to clot at room temperature for at least 30 min. Within 60 minutes of sample collection, the tubes were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 20-25° C. at 1400×g. The supernatant was drawn without disturbing the pellet and the serum was mixed and divided into two sample tubes and stored frozen (−70° C.) at an upright position until further treatment for analysis. Serum samples from 58 patients were used for blood biomarker analysis. Serum from Cycle 1 day 1 (baseline), cycle 1 day 8, and cycle 2 day 8 were used in this analysis. The association of progression free survival with or without a covariate was analyzed. The covariates used are the following PK parameters: cycle 1 day 1 Cmax (E7080 concentration 2 hr after dosing on cycle 1 day 1: MAX1); cycle1 day 1 Ctrough (E7080 concentration before dosing on cycle1 day 8:MIN1); cycle2 day 1 Cmax (E7080 concentration 2 hrs after dosing on cycle2 day 1:MAX2); cycle2 day 1 Ctrough (E7080 concentration before dosing on cycle 2 day 1:MIN2). Serum samples were tested in batch format where all timepoints from the same subject were assayed on the same day. On the day of assay, samples were removed from −80° C. and allowed to thaw and reach room temperature. The serum samples were tested using the following commercial assay kits as per the manufacturer's instructions: Human Soluble Tie-2 ELISA (R&D Systems Cat. No. DTE200), Human Angiopoietin-1 ELISA (R&D Systems Cat. No. DANG10), Human FGF23 ELISA, Human SDF-1a ELISA Human Angiopoietin-2 ELISA (R&D Systems Cat. No. DANG20), Human Soluble Receptor Multiplex (Millipore Cat. No. HSCR-32K; sVEGF R1, sVEGF R2 and sVEGF R3 only), Human Cytokine/Chemokine Panel I Multiplex (Millipore Cat. No. MPXHCYTO-60K; IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, sCD40L, EGF, Eotaxin, FGF-2, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-T, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1a, MIP-1β, PDGF-AA, RANTES, TGF-α, TNF-α and VEGF only) and Human Growth Factor Multiplex (Origene TruPLEX Cat. No. AM100096; PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, FGF4, VEGFD, FGF2, EGF, HGF, FLT3LG, ANGPT2, PGF and VEGFA).

The ELISA plates were measured using a Molecular Devices UVmax kinetic microplate reader with SoftMax Pro 5.2 software. The multiplex assays were performed using the Bio-Rad Bio-Plex system with Bio-Plex Manager 4.1 software. Final protein concentrations (pg/mL) were calculated from the standard curve for each assay. Depending on the assay, serum samples may have been diluted in assay buffer prior to testing. In these cases, protein concentrations were multiplied by the dilution factor.

Results and Discussion:

From 58 patient samples, between 27 and 49 pre- and post-treatment blood samples were used for analyses. Significant change in levels of 23 factors among 46 factors tested in 50 assays were observed at both, or either, cycle 1 day8 or cycle 2 day 8 in the serum from patients treated with E7080 compared to pre-treatment levels (cycle 1 day 1 (baseline)) (Table 9).

TABLE 9 Change in Levels of Blood Biomarkers After E7080 Treatment Time point Number Base line Post Treatment Fold change Factor Pre Post Pre Post median IQR median IQR median IQR P value EGF CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 42 44 119.9 128.5 75.9 76.6 0.808 0.735 3.70E−02 Eotaxin CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 128.2 75.9 154.7 117.5 1.171 0.313 3.20E−05 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 128.2 75.9 177 123.9 1.363 0.54 1.10E−06 G-CSF CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 51.2 34.5 67.1 46.3 1.25 0.57 3.80E−04 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 51.2 34.5 61.3 53.8 1.215 1.011 8.80E−03 IL-6 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 37 49 9.9 23.3 17.3 34.9 1.824 2.759 2.10E−03 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 34 44 9.9 23.3 15 34.4 1.299 2.069 1.90E−02 IL-7 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 27 49 3.3 15.7 6.4 14.5 1 0.507 3.80E−02 IL-8 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 48 49 26.1 24.9 31.7 28.4 1.164 0.66 1.20E−02 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 43 44 26.1 24.9 31.4 20.3 1.205 0.799 7.80E−03 IL-17 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 39 49 9.3 30.7 14.4 52.2 1.025 0.378 4.70E−02 IP-10 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 387.7 313 474.3 443.1 1.249 0.41 2.70E−05 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 387.7 313 602.8 538.5 1.382 0.719 9.40E−04 MCP-1 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 582.7 323.3 618 342.1 1.086 0.431 4.10E−03 TGFa CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 45 49 12.2 12 14.6 9.9 1.157 0.706 2.80E−02 VEGF CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 48 49 622 1845.8 741.4 1918.7 1.29 0.517 1.20E−04 Ang-2 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 2717 1697.8 1812 1150 0.665 0.298 3.10E−13 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 2717 1697.8 1533 729 0.618 0.379 1.60E−11 Tie-2 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 33675 10817.5 31685 11800 0.917 0.166 9.40E−06 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 33675 10817.5 26220 6845 0.766 0.143 9.10E−09 sVEGFR1 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 43 49 345.2 539.7 300 341 0.92 0.361 6.00E−03 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 38 44 345.2 539.7 341.5 444.9 0.805 0.66 3.50E−02 sVEGFR2 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 26778.4 9033.4 18823.1 6482.8 0.676 0.23 7.40E−13 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 44 44 26778.4 9033.4 13352.1 4041.9 0.499 0.167 5.70E−13 sVEGFR3 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 39 44 6226.6 4858.8 4030.9 6017.5 0.843 0.327 1.80E−03 EGF (80) CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 38 41 879.6 753.5 875.8 823.7 1.17 0.653 4.70E−02 HGF (86) CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 46 48 1201.8 651.4 1339.3 1335.9 1.096 0.572 2.70E−02 FLT3 LG (89) CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 48 48 80.4 56.5 71.1 50.6 0.885 0.249 5.40E−03 ANG2 (90) CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 48 48 928.2 748.9 688.6 442.3 0.671 0.218 3.20E−12 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 41 41 928.2 748.9 600.6 373.9 0.586 0.327 2.90E−09 PGF (91) CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 48 48 16.1 8.5 35.9 37.2 2.306 1.769 1.70E−09 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 41 41 16.1 8.5 46 55.1 3.05 2.717 3.00E−11 VEGFA (100) CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 48 48 125.9 142.4 202.1 204.5 1.28 0.838 9.40E−08 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 41 41 125.9 142.4 212.5 191.4 1.426 0.941 3.20E−04 SDF-1a CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 1 DAY 8 49 49 2582.6 957.7 3129 1161.8 1.21 0.172 5.30E−12 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 43 43 2582.6 957.7 3529.5 970 1.345 0.246 6.80E−13

It was next assessed whether changes in expression levels of these factors was associated with clinical outcomes (tumor response; PR and others (SD or PD), tumor shrinkage, and PFS).

TABLE 10 Concentration and Ratio of Blood Biomarkers and Tumor Response PR others Factor Time point Median IQR Median IQR p. value IFN-g CYCLE 1 DAY 1 7.9 14.1 21.2 60.2 0.013 Ang-2 2530.5 914.5 3399 2288 0.032 ANG2 (90) 829.5 541.3 1032.9 1113.4 0.032 ANG2 (90) CYCLE 1 DAY 8 591.7 329.3 799.3 505.6 0.043 SDF-1a 3294 1271.3 2915 866.2 0.042 IL-6 CYCLE 2 DAY 8 8.2 17.8 33.9 33.7 0.026 FGF-2 CYCLE 1 DAY 8/ 1.189 0.821 0.952 0.397 0.021 GM-CSF CYCLE 1 DAY 1 1.037 0.641 0.945 0.459 0.044 Eotaxin CYCLE 2 DAY 8/ 1.541 0.464 1.242 0.411 0.008 IP-10 CYCLE 1 DAY 1 1.547 0.616 1.151 0.606 0.039 Tie-2 0.791 0.159 0.852 0.206 0.023 FGF2 (79) 1.132 1.051 0.978 0.391 0.043 GM-CSF CYCLE 2 DAY 8/ 1.051 0.547 0.876 0.439 0.07 HGF (86) CYCLE 1 DAY 8 0.789 0.318 1.087 0.491 0.004 VEGFA (100) 0.899 0.521 1.172 0.422 0.011 Median concentrations of 4 factors (IFN-g, ANG-2, SDF-1a and IL-6) in 5 assays at pre-treatment or either 1 week or 5 weeks after treatment with E7080 were significantly different in patients who responded to E7080 treatment (PR group) compared with the “others” group (patients with SD or PD) (Table 10, Mann-Whitney U test). For example, concentrations of IFN-g and ANG-2 at pre-treatment was significantly lower than that seen in patients who had either SD or PD, indicating that low concentrations of IFN-g and ANG-2 before the commencement of treatment with E7080 are predictive of a beneficial tumor response to E7080. Changes in the expression levels of 3 factors (FGF2, Eotaxin, IP-10) were increased in PR group at either cycle1 day8 or cycle2 day8, while the by expression level of these 3 factors were decreased in the “others” groups. Interestingly, GM-CSF expression levels were decreased only in others groups at cycle2 day8 compared to either cycle1 day 1 or cycle1 day8. In addition, expression levels of Tie-2, HGF, and VEGF were significantly decreased in PR groups at cycle2 day 8 more than in the “others” group compared to cycle 1 day8. These results demonstrated that changes in expression levels of blood biomarkers were associated with and therefore can be to predict tumor responses to therapy comprising E7080.

Next, the factors associated with tumor shrinkage were investigated (Pearson's correlation coefficient test, Table 11).

TABLE 11 Concentration and Ratio of Blood Biomarkers and % of Maximum Tumor Shrinkage correla- Factor Time point tion (r) p value ANG2(90) CYCLE1 DAY 1 0.309 0.033 PDGF AB(68) −0.420 0.011 Ang-2 0.341 0.012 SVEGFR2 0.289 0.036 VEGF 0.276 0.048 IL-10 CYCLE1 DAY 8 −0.315 0.035 SDF-1a −0.354 0.009 IL-13 0.399 0.048 PGF(91) CYCLE2 DAY 8 0.305 0.040 VEGFA(100) 0.300 0.043 RANTES −0.311 0.045 VEGF 0.292 0.047 FGF-2 CYCLE1 DAY 8/ −0.347 0.021 IL-10 CYCLE1 DAY 1 −0.38 0.020 GM-CSF −0.369 0.032 IL-1a CYCLE2 DAY 8/ −0.468 0.028 TGFa CYCLE1 DAY 1 −0.348 0.030 IL-6 CYCLE2 DAY 8/ 0.392 0.017 Tie-2 CYCLE1 DAY 8 0.352 0.019 PGF(91) −0.314 0.046 sVEGFR1 0.332 0.032 VEGFA(100) 0.319 0.035

Concentration of 4 factors (ANG-2, PDGF-AB, sVEGFR2, and VEGF) in 5 assays were significantly associated with tumor shrinkage at pre-treatment. These studies indicated that lower concentrations of these 4 factors can predict larger tumor shrinkage, while higher concentration of PDGF-AB might predict larger tumor shrinkage. Concentration of 3 factors (IL-13, PGF, and VEGF) in 4 assays at either 1 week or 5 weeks after treatments with E7080 were significantly associated with tumor shrinkage. These studies showed that lower concentrations of these IL-13, PGF, and VEGF are predictive of larger tumor shrinkage at indicated time points. Higher concentration of 3 factors (IL-10, SDF1a, and RANTES) in 3 assays at either 1 week or 5 weeks after treatments of E7080 are predictive of larger tumor shrinkage. Increase expression levels (indicating high ratio) of FGF2, IL10, GMCSF at cycle1 day8 compared to cycle 1 day1 were significantly associated with tumor shrinkage and are predictive of larger tumor shrinkage. At cycle2 day8 compared to cycle1 day 1, a high ratio of IL1a and TGFa is predictive of larger tumor shrinkage. A low ratio of the expression of 4 factors (IL-6, Tie-2, sVEGFR1, and VEGF) at cycle2 day8 compared to cycle1 day8 was associated with larger tumor shrinkage. A high ratio of the expression of PGF at cycle2 day8 compared to cycle 1 day8 was associated with larger tumor shrinkage.

Cox proportional hazard model was performed to identify blood biomarkers that predict progression free survival by either concentrations or ratio (changes in expression levels) of factors. Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameter was used as a covariate in Cox proportional hazards model. Low concentrations of ANG-2 and VEGF at cycle 1 day 1, or a low ratio of IL-12(p40) at cycle2 day8 compared to cycle1 day 1 were significantly associated to longer PFS, indicating that these factors can be used as biomarkers for prediction or response to E7080 therapy (Table 12). Cox proportional hazard model with PK parameter demonstrated that high concentrations of 7 factors (GCSF, MIP1b, FGF2, MIP1a, IL6, IL13, and sVEGFR3) at pre-treatment can be predictive of longer PFS; whereas, low concentrations of ANG-2 at pre-treatment can be predictive of longer PFS. Cox proportional hazard model with PK parameter demonstrated that low ratios of 7 factors (FLT3LG, RANTES, GCSF, sVEGFR1, EGF, PDGF-BB, PDGF-AA) are predictive of better PFS and that high ratios of 4 factors (VEGFD, IL10, IL1RA, PDGF-AB) are predictive of better PFS.

TABLE 12 Concentration and Ratio of Blood Biomarker and Progression Free Survival p Covariate (p value) Factor Time Coef value MAX1 MAX2 MIN1 MIN2 Ang-2 CYCLE1 DAY 1 2.70E−04 0.017 VEGFA (100) 1.40E−03 0.02 IL-12(p40) CYCLE 2 DAY8/ 1.90E−01 0.046 CYCLE1 DAY 1 Ang-2 CYCLE1 DAY 1 3.30E−04 0.004 0.006 0.006 G-CSF −1.60E−02  0.045 0.01 0.007 ANG2 (90) 6.50E−04 0.021 0.003 0.01 MIP-1b −1.10E−02  0.048 0.007 0.006 FGF-2 −1.10E−02  0.049 0.003 0.004 MIP-1a −2.60E−02  0.033 0.003 0.009 IL-6 −3.00E−02  0.018 0.002 0.002 IL-13 −3.00E−02  0.033 0.047 0.049 sVEGFR3 −1.00E−04  0.045 0.001 0.003 0.023 FLT3 LG (89) CYCLE1 DAY8/ 1.70E+00 0.022 0.049 VEGFD (78) CYCLE1 DAY 1 −1.20E+00  0.043 0.006 0.006 RANTES 2.50E+00 0.018 0.006 0.014 IL-10 −8.60E−01  0.05 0.014 0.019 IL-1ra −8.30E−01  0.033 0.028 0.008 PDGF AB (68) −2.00E+00  0.043 0.018 0.031 G-CSF CYCLE2 DAY8/ 2.20E−01 0.021 0.025 FLT3 LG (89) CYCLE1 DAY 1 6.40E−01 0.029 0.002 0.008 sVEGFR1 9.30E−01 0.038 0.042 EGF (80) 1.10E+00 0.036 0.006 0.01 PDGF BB (73) 4.40E−01 0.044 0.018 PDGF-AA 2.30E+00 0.014 0.011 0.003

Conclusion:

Concentration and changes in expression levels of cytokines, chemokine and angiogenic factors are associated to tumor response, tumor shrinkage and progression free survival and can be used to predict clinical response to E7080 treatment.

Example 4: Multivariate Analysis to Develop Biomarkers Combining Two or More than 3 Factors for Prediction of Clinical Outcomes Purpose:

The purpose of this analysis was to identify combinations of factors, such as mutations, thyroglobulin, blood biomarkers that better associate with clinical outcomes, such as progression free survival (PFS) than a single factor and to predict those clinical outcomes.

Materials and Methods:

All factors (i.e., mutations, thyroglobulin, cytokine, chemokine and angiogenic factors) were used as independent variables of interest, that is, as biomarker candidates. PFS was used as a dependent variable, that is, as one of the clinical outcomes, in this analysis. Firstly, all factors were screened according to p-values calculated by Cox proportional hazards model with single factor. Secondly, all combinations of the screened factors were tested by Cox proportional hazards model to find significant factors in all combinations of the factors. Combinations in which all factors were significant were chosen for further analysis. Hazard functions of the combinations of factors defined by their coefficients were obtained from this analysis. Each patient has his/her own hazard value for each model, so that patients can be assigned into two groups when a threshold of hazard is given for a model. After grouping patients, log rank test of progression free survival was performed to test difference of survival curves between two groups (low hazard and high hazard). The best threshold of hazard for each model of combination of factors was identified by sweeping threshold to calculate log rank test p-values and finding a threshold that minimized the smoothed curve constructed from the p-values, which was similar to the approach described in U. Abel, J. Berger and H. Wiebelt, “CRITLEVEL: An Exploratory Procedure for the Evaluation of Quantitative Prognostic Factors”, Methods Inf. Medicine, 23(3):154-6(1984). The best thresholds of the models divided patients into high and low hazard groups. Patients are predicted as longer PFS when their hazard value is lower than the threshold.

Results and Discussion:

To find biomarkers to predict PFS at pre-treatment, we analyzed the data, which was available before the treatment. Cox proportional hazards model demonstrated 4 types of combination in two groups of biomarkers. One group is ANG-2, VEGF, GCSF and another group is IL13, MIP1a, and MIP1b. Hazard ratio determined by prediction models indicated that combination of VEGF and ANG-2 (Hazard ratio=0.386) predicted PFS better than each single factors (VEGF; 0.552, ANG-2; Hazard ratio=0.545). Addition of GCSF to VEGF and ANG-2 did not caused further decrease of Hazard ratio (0.413). Combination of IL13 and MIP1a showed low hazard ratio (1.0×10⁻⁹) in our prediction model and addition of MIP1b did not affect Hazard ratio further (Table 13).

TABLE 13 Predictive Biomarker Using Combination of Blood Biomarkers at Pre-Treatment Logrank test N Cox proportional hazards model (p value) Low High p VEGFA ANG-2 GCSF IL13 MIP1a MIP1b Gr Gr value HR* Prediction Model 0.02 15 36 0.198 0.552 (0.0014)*(VEGFA100) − (0.279) < −0.15 0.017 27 26 0.108 0.545 (0.000267)*(Ang2) − (0.854) < −0.128 0.037 0.026 23 28 0.021 0.386 (0.000261)*(Ang2) + (0.00126)*(VEGFA100) − (1.09) < −0.24 0.016 0.028 0.034 25 26 0.027 0.413 (0.000591)*(ANG290) + (−0.0178)*(GCSF) + (0.00142)*(VEGFA100) − (−0.671) < 0.651 0.009 0.005 7 18 0.015 1.00E−09 (−0.0459)*(IL13) + (0.0459)*(MIP1a) − (0.0395) < 0.268 0.031 0.001 0.049 12 13 0.002 0.121 (−0.0353)*(IL13) + (0.0713)*(MIP1a) + (−0.0154)*(MIP1b) − (0.188) < 0.222

Next we examined if the combination of gene mutation and blood biomarker predicted PFS better than gene mutation alone. Cox proportional hazards model demonstrated 3 groups of combination among 3 gene mutations (Table 14), such as:

-   -   Group (1): NRAS mutation (mu)     -   a. plus ANG-2;     -   b. plus VEGF, MIP1b;     -   c. plus VEGF, MIP1b, sVEGFR3;     -   d. NRAS mu plus ANG-2, VEGF, MIP1b, sVEGFR3:

Group (2): NRAS mu or KRAS mu plus ANG-2; and

Group (3): NRAS mu or KRAS mu or VHL mu

-   -   a. plus MIP1a;     -   b. plus IL6, VEGF, MIP1a, MIP1b.

For example, hazard ratio determined by the prediction models indicated that combination of NRAS mu and ANG-2 (hazard ratio=0.085) predicted PFS better than mutation alone (NRAS; hazard ratio=0.124). Also combination of any of NRAS mu or KRAS mu and ANG-2 (Hazard ratio=0.083) had lower hazard ratio than mutation only (KRAS mu or NRAS mu; hazard ratio=0.205). Combination of any of BRAF mu or NRAS mu or KRAS mu and IL6, VEGF, MIP1a, MIP1b had lower hazard ratio (hazard ratio=1.9E-10) than mutation only (hazard ratio=0.086) (Table 14).

TABLE 14 Predictive Biomarker Using Combination of Gene Mutation and Blood Biomarkers at Pre-Treatment Cox proportional hazards model (p value) Logrank test Mutation (any of gene) BRAF, N KRAS, KRAS, Blood biomarker Low High p NRAS NRAS NRAS VEGFA ANG-2 MIP1a MIP1b sVEGFR3 IL-6 Gr Gr value HR* Prediction Model 0.047 6 17 1.90E−02 0.124 D(NRAS, MU) 0.011 0.044 0.035 14 6 1.70E−04 0.097 (−0.025)*log10(MIP1b) + (.0.00616)*log10(VEGFA100) + (3.32)*D(NRAS, WT) − (−0.52) < 1.81 0.003 0.01 0.004 0.016 14 6 8.70E−06 0.054 (−0.0494)*log10(MIP1b) + (−0.000472)*log10(sVEGFR3) + (−0.0119)*log10(sVEGFA100) + (4.66)*D(NRAS, WT) − (.5.9) < 3.55 0.003 0.006 0.017 0.007 0.005 12 8 2.00E−06 2.60E−10 (0.00148)*log10(Ang2) + (−0.0606)*log10(MIP1b) + (−0.000917)*log10(VEGFR3) + (−0.0177)*log10(VEGFA100) + (6.58)*D(NRAS, WT) − (−5.78) < 3.97 0.015 0.049 13 8 5.10E−04 0.115 (0.000751)*log10(ANg2) + (2.69)*D(NRAS, WT) − (3.92) < 0.716 0.013 0.028 14 7 2.80E−04 0.085 (0.000972)*log10(Ang290) + (2.75)*D(NRAS, WT) − (2.96) < 0.633 0.043 8 15 2.70E−02 0.205 D(KRASNRAS, MU) 0.01 0.044 13 8 2.20E−04 0.083 (0.000869)*log10(ANG290) + (2.16)*D(KRASNRAS, WT) − (2.24) < 0.508 0.004 0.044 11 9 2.60E−04 0.086 (−0.0281)*log10(MIP1a) + (2.19)* D(BRAFKRASNRAS, WT) − (−0.41) < −0.0348 0.01 0.017 0.015 0.016 0.019 10 5 3.30E−05 1.90E−10 (0.126)*log10(IL6) + (−0.193)*log10(MIP1a) + (−0.0775)*log10(MIP1b) + (−0.0514)*log10(VEGFA100) + (7.94)*D(BRAFKRASNRAS, WT) − (−14.4) < 4.69

Conclusion:

Combination of biomarkers, either gene mutations or blood biomarkers or combination among blood biomarkers predicted PFS better than as a single biomarker based on prediction models after determining combinations of them using the Cox proportional hazard model. Biomarker combinations that were found by this analysis may be used to predict clinical outcomes such as PFS with E7080 and response to E7080 treatment.

Example 5: Mutation Status as Predictive Biomarkers for RCC Patients' Responsiveness to Therapy Comprising E7080 Either Alone or in Combination with Everolimus Purpose:

Tumor response and prolonged disease stabilization are observed in renal cell carcinoma patients (RCC) treated in a phase II study with E7080 (methanesulfonic acid salt of lenvatinib) alone or in combination with Everolimus. This experiment is directed at identifying amino acid mutations that are useful in predicting whether RCC subjects respond, or fail to respond, to treatment with E7080 using three criteria of response: best overall response, tumor shrinkage, and progression free survival.

Materials and Methods:

Tissue samples are obtained at surgery before the patients had received any therapy comprising E7080 and were routinely processed with formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissues (FFPE). The protocol that is used is approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent is obtained from each subject. Tumor tissue samples from X patients, for which tissues are available, will be used for mutation analysis. DNA is isolated from FFPE tumor blocks collected from patients participating in the trial. Genomic DNA is extracted from two to five 10 micron unstained sections by deparaffinization and Qiagen DNA Mini Kit Tissue Protocol with minor modification. For mutation detection, a sequencing technology such as the SEQUENOM® (San Diego, Calif.) platform and the OncoCarta™ Panel v1.0 and OncoCarta™ Panel v3.0 described in Example 1, semiconductor sequencing such as Ion Torrent PGM, High Resolution Melt Analysis, or classical Sanger sequencing is used.

The period during which a patient takes E7080 is artificially divided into different Cycles for ease of evaluation and tracking. Patients receive E7080 at a dose of 24 mg orally once daily in 28 day cycles either alone or in combination with everolimus (E7080 and/or everolimus). For the E7080 Renal cell Carcinoma trial, each Cycle is 28 days (4 weeks) so Day 1-28 is cycle 1: Day 29 is Day 1 of Cycle 2; and Day 57 is Day 1 of Cycle 3. Blood samples are collected for pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis on Cycle 1 Days 1, Cycle 2 Day 1, and Cycle 3 Day 1. A total of 6 samples per patient are collected as follows: Cycle 1 Day 1: immediately prior to the dose of E7080, and 2 to 8 hours following the first dose of E7080 (post-dose); Cycle 2 Day 1: immediately prior to the dose of E7080 and 2 to 8 hours following the first dose of E7080 (post-dose); Cycle 3 Day 1: immediately prior to the dose of E7080 and 2 to 8 hours following the first dose of E7080 (post-dose). For analysis of progression free survival, PK parameter is used as a covariate in Cox proportional hazards model.

The four criteria of response: best overall response, tumor response, tumor shrinkage, and progression free survival are defined below.

“Best Overall Response” (BOR) refers to having one of the following statuses—Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR), Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD) an association of BOR to gene mutation is analyzed by Fisher's exact test.

“Clinical benefit” (CB) refers to having one of the following statuses—Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR); or Stable Disease (SD) with 6 months or more progression free survival (PFS).

“Complete Response” means complete disappearance of all target lesions.

“Partial Response” means at least 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline summed LD.

“Progressive Disease” (PD) means at least 20% increase in the sum of the LD of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest summed LD recorded since the treatment started, or the appearance of one or more new lesions.

“Stable Disease” means neither sufficient shrinkage of the target lesions to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (PD), taking as reference the smallest summed LD since the treatment started.

“Progression Free Survival” (PFS) refers to the period from start date of treatment to the last date before entering PD status and correlation of gene mutation to PFS is analyzed by Logrank test and Cox proportional hazards model.

“Tumor shrinkage” (TS) means percent change of sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters and correlation of gene mutation to TS is analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test.

“Tumor response” (TR) compares subjects with “Partial Response” (PR) with subjects with either Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD). ⇒not for mutation analysis, but for TG and blood biomarkers.

Example 6: Blood Biomarkers as Predictive and Response Biomarkers of E7080 Either Alone or in Combination with Everolimus in RCC Subjects Purpose:

The purpose of this analysis is to measure cytokine, chemokine and angiogenic factors (collectively referred to herein as “blood biomarkers”) in blood samples obtained from patients in clinical trials at both pre- and post-treatment with E7080 and/or everolimus and to identify blood biomarkers which can be used to predict whether renal cell carcinoma patients will respond or fail to respond to treatment with E7080. For these analyses, four criteria of response are employed, namely: best overall response, tumor response, % of tumor shrinkage and progression free survival.

Materials and Methods:

Patients receive E7080 at a dose of 24 mg oral once daily in 28 day cycles either alone or in combination with everolimus. Serum samples are collected at Cycle 1 Day 1 (pre-treatment), Cycle 1 Day 15 and immediately before dosing on Day1 of each subsequent cycle and at the time when the patient is off-treatment. 7.5 mL of blood is drawn into serum stainless steel tube (SST) and let to clot at room temperature for at least 30 min. Within 60 minutes of sample collection, the tubes are centrifuged for 10 minutes at 20-25° C. at 1400×g. The supernatant is drawn without disturbing the pellet and the serum is mixed and divided into two sample tubes and stored frozen (−70° C.) at an upright position until further treatment for analysis. Serum samples from patients are used for blood biomarker analysis. Serum from Cycle 1 day 1 (baseline), cycle 1 day 15, pre-dose sample from Day1 of each subsequent cycle and serum sample when the patient comes off treatment are used in this analysis. The association of progression free survival with or without a covariate is analyzed. The covariates used are the following PK parameters: cycle 1 day 1 Cmax (E7080 concentration 2 hrs to 8 hrs after dosing on cycle 1 day 1: MAX1); cycle2 day 1 Cmax (E7080 concentration 2 hrs to 8 hrs after dosing on cycle2 day 1:MAX2); cycle2 day 1 Ctrough (E7080 concentration before dosing on cycle 2 day 1:MIN2). Serum samples are tested in batch format where all timepoints from the same subject are assayed on the same day. On the day of assay, samples are removed from −80° C. and allowed to thaw and reach room temperature. The serum samples are tested using the following commercial assay kits as per the manufacturer's instructions: Human Soluble Tie-2 ELISA (R&D Systems Cat. No. DTE200), Human Angiopoietin-1 ELISA (R&D Systems Cat. No. DANG10), Human Angiopoietin-2 ELISA (R&D Systems Cat. No. DANG20), Human Soluble Receptor Multiplex (Millipore Cat. No. HSCR-32K; sVEGF R1, sVEGF R2 and sVEGF R3 only), Human Cytokine/Chemokine Panel I Multiplex (Millipore Cat. No. MPXHCYTO-60K; IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, sCD40L, EGF, Eotaxin, FGF-2, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, PDGF-AA, RANTES, TGF-α, TNF-α and VEGF only) and Human Growth Factor Multiplex (Origene TruPLEX Cat. No. AM100096; PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, FGF4, VEGFD, FGF2, EGF, HGF, FLT3LG, ANGPT2, PGF and VEGFA).

The ELISA plates are measured using a Molecular Devices UVmax kinetic microplate reader with SoftMax Pro 5.2 software. The multiplex assays are performed using the Bio-Rad Bio-Plex system with Bio-Plex Manager 4.1 software. Final protein concentrations (pg/mL) are calculated from the standard curve for each assay. Depending on the assay, serum samples may be diluted in assay buffer prior to testing. In these cases, protein concentrations are multiplied by the dilution factor.

The four criteria of response; best overall response, tumor response, tumor shrinkage, and progression free survival are defined below and analyzed by indicated methods.

“Best Overall Response” (BOR) refers to having one of the following statuses: —Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR), Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD) and association of BOR to gene mutation is analyzed by Fisher's exact test

“Clinical benefit” (CB) refers to having one of the following statuses and association of CB to gene mutation is analyzed by student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test.

-   -   Complete Response (CR), Partial Response (PR); or Stable Disease         (SD) with 6 months or more progression free survival (PFS)

“Complete Response” means complete disappearance of all target lesions.

“Partial Response” means at least 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline summed LD.

“Progressive Disease” (PD) means at least 20% increase in the sum of the LD of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest summed LD recorded since the treatment started, or the appearance of one or more new lesions.

“Stable Disease” means neither sufficient shrinkage of the target lesions to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (PD), taking as reference the smallest summed LD since the treatment started.

“Progression Free Survival” (PFS) refers to the period from start date of treatment to the last date before entering PD status and correlation of gene mutation to PFS is analyzed by Logrank test and cox proportional hazards model.

“Tumor shrinkage” (TS) means percent change of sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters and correlation of gene mutation to TS is analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and * Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test.

“Tumor response” (TR) compares subjects with “Partial Response” (PR) with subjects with either Stable Disease (SD) or Progressive Disease (PD) and association of blood biomarkers is analyzed by student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test.

Example 7: Multivariate Analysis to Develop Biomarkers Combining Two or More than 3 Factors for Prediction of Clinical Outcomes in RCC Patients Purpose:

The purpose of this analysis is to identify combinations of factors, such as mutations, and levels or expression ratios of cytokine, chemokine and angiogenic factors, that better associate with progression free survival (PFS) than a single factor and to predict clinical outcomes, such as PFS and TS, in RCC patients.

Materials and Methods:

All factors (i.e., mutations, cytokine, chemokine and angiogenic factors) are used as independent variables of interest, that is, as biomarker candidates. PFS is used as a dependent variable, that is, as a clinical outcome in this analysis. Firstly, all factors are screened according to p values calculated by Cox proportional hazards model with single factor. Secondly, all combinations of the screened factors are tested by Cox proportional hazards model to find significant factors in all combinations of the factors. Combinations in which all factors are significant are chosen for further analysis. Hazard functions of the combinations of factors defined by their coefficients are obtained from this analysis. Each patient has his/her own hazard value for each model, so that patients can be assigned into two groups when a threshold of hazard is given for a model. After grouping patients, log rank test of progression free survival is performed to test difference of survival curves between two groups (low hazard and high hazard). The best threshold of hazard for each model of combination of factors is identified by sweeping threshold to calculate log rank test p-values and finding a threshold that minimizes the smoothed curve constructed from the p-values, which is similar to the approach described in U. Abel, J. Berger and H. Wiebelt, “CRITLEVEL: An Exploratory Procedure for the Evaluation of Quantitative Prognostic Factors”, Methods Inf. Medicine, 23(3):154-6(1984). The best thresholds of the models divides patients into high and low hazard groups. The criteria of patient prediction of longer PFS are defined as a hazard value calculated by hazard function that is lower than the threshold.

Other Embodiments

While the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims. 

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A method of predicting the response of a subject having, suspected of having, or at risk of developing, a differentiated thyroid cancer to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, the method comprising: providing a first blood sample obtained from the subject before the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; providing a second blood sample obtained from the subject after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; measuring the concentration of thyroglobulin in the first blood sample and the second blood sample; and calculating the ratio (second/first) of the concentrations of thyroglobulin, wherein a reduced ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood samples is predictive that the subject will respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and wherein an increased ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood samples is predictive that the subject will respond less effectively to the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof than a subject having a reduced ratio, as compared to a control, of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood samples.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 1 week to 9 months after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 2 weeks to 9 months after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
 15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 4 weeks to 6 months after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second blood sample is obtained from the subject 4 days to 2 weeks after the initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the differentiated thyroid cancer is a follicular thyroid cancer.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the differentiated thyroid cancer is a papillary thyroid cancer.
 19. The method of claim 12, wherein the lenvatinib or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is lenvatinib mesylate.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the subject is a human.
 21. The method of claim 12, further comprising administering a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for the subject who is predicted to respond to a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
 22. A method for treating differentiated thyroid cancer, comprising: providing a first blood sample obtained, before initiation of a therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, from a human subject having or suspected of having a differentiated thyroid cancer; providing a second blood sample obtained from the human subject after initiation of the therapy comprising lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; measuring the concentration of thyroglobulin in the first blood sample and the second blood sample, wherein the ratio of the concentrations of thyroglobulin in the blood samples (second blood sample/first blood sample) is reduced as compared to a control; and further administering lenvatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the human subject.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the differentiated thyroid cancer is a follicular thyroid cancer.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the differentiated thyroid cancer is a papillary thyroid cancer.
 25. The method of claim 22, wherein the lenvatinib or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is lenvatinib mesylate. 